Star Wars: Vengeance From The Unknown: Day of The Red Sun
by Tenkai Nankobo 101
Summary: Maul and Savage have returned to the galaxy to take revenge and Mandalore for themselves. In them, Duchess Satine Kryze and Obi-Wan Kenobi see them as a threat to all that they love most. In the brothers, Chiss Admiral Thrawn sees the vanguard for an even greater assault. But in them, Sidious sees the ruin of his goals. Who will win and who will survive the Day of The Red Sun?
1. Title and Prologue

Star Wars: Vengeance From The Unknown

Day of The Red Sun

By

Christopher Cleveland & Diego Feliu

**Prologue**

Watching another sunset on Mandalore was as normal as the night sleep that followed for Duchess Satine Kryze. Starting from a rough past, the Duchess had brought peace and prosperity to Mandalore, trading the warrior culture of old for a pacifist existence. While most would attest that her efforts had yielded greater benefits for Mandalore than the warrior ways ever did, Death Watch disagreed. Worse, she had had reports from the Jedi that they were beginning to mobilize against her with several allies of the unorthodox sort.

"If our reports prove true, Black Sun and the Pykes have joined their cause while the former has taken over Kuat droid foundries across the galaxy. In addition, Death Watch has also taken the liberty of training the Kuat engineers how to make droids with Mandalorian Iron," Obi-Wan had said. Taking it into account, Satine knew that Mandalorian Iron was going to make these droids all but impenetrable to the weapons her guards had except maybe for blasters. I can only hope now that the organizations have a falling out before they attack Mandalore Satine thought to herself.

"What can I hope to do if they attack?" she asked aloud as she sipped at her favorite glass of Mandalorian wine. "To be honest, Duchess, there isn't much we can do. Our guards are used to fighting common riff raff in the city. They won't be prepared for a full-scale invasion by Death Watch, never mind those scum in unison with a pair of Sith Lords and criminal organizations," the new Prime Minister stated glumly. Sadly, she knew he was right: the defense of New Mandalore would never stand a chance against the ferocity of their warrior counterparts and their allies even when ordered to fight.

But she couldn't retreat in the face of this rising threat, so she was at a greater impasse than ever she had been in her life. "Do we stand and fight or do we leave and just simply give Mandalore to our enemies?" she asked. "I don't know milady but I would have recommended requesting Republic assistance were it not for the fact that their help would ruin our image," he answered. Prime Minister Neptune was a good man, Satine knew that but he was also very wise like Almec had been.

"We can't abandon Mandalore but if we are to uphold our principles, we can't fight for it either. Do we defy principle and become hypocrites or do we abandon all we love for death and destruction?" she pressed, worried for her world as any ruler would be. "If you want the answer to that question, just ask yourself: what's worse between risking hypocrisy in order to stand for what you love and marking yourself as a coward even by the standards of pacifism?" he replied. That question seemed to be more logical and suddenly, it began to make sense to Satine who then thanked Neptune for his input.

"You are wise beyond you are years as you are kind," she added. "I do what I can to live up to the goodness my predecessor did before his untimely retirement. Without that act of corruption, I have enough to live up to as it is," he retorted with a smile. "You are dismissed for now Prime Minister, I'll summon you again if I need any more of your youthful wisdom," she said.

He truly deserved to keep his job and she hoped that Death Watch would see him as a good enough person for that. Sadly, they might find Almec a better Prime Minister for their cause than the young, peace loving Neptune.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

Staying on the Kuat Foundry based in Mustafar was starting to remind Depa Billaba of Haruun Kal all over again. Though Haruun had been a more hospitable world than Mustafar was, both emanated with the power of the Dark Side of the Force. The only difference was that Haruun's darkness had been more enlightening whereas this was just another planet infected with the power. Or was it really an infection and not a vaccination for the disease known as the Jedi?

As she thought of these things, she received a communications signal from her Mistress, Arden Lyn. "Milady, you have a location for which you would like me to meet you at?" Depa asked directly. Arden nodded and told her apprentice that the time had come for her to move out to Malastare, meeting her Mistress there when she arrived with her cruiser filled with Vahla warriors. "Go at your earliest convenience but attempt to be there in no more than five standard days," Arden added.

"I will not fail you Mistress nor will I be unexcited to meet the Ember of Vahla, I've heard many things about the bounty hunters they've created. Most of them highly skilled, even on par with the late Jango Fett and Cad Bane," Depa replied. "Then perhaps the tribes will be of use to us when I tell them I can guide them to their homeworld in exchange for servitude," Arden said. "An excellent move, my Mistress; I will be there in five days but will contact you should it change," Depa snapped, before bowing.

Her Mistress disconnected communications then and Depa was ecstatic to finally leave the Mustafar factory behind. Xizor also congratulated her on finally having a location to go to in order to rendezvous with her Mistress. "When you meet the Ember of Vahla, be sure to observe the means by which they fight. If you and your Mistress don't make careful notes, you could be betrayed," he warned.

"So long as my Mistress' knowledge of their homeworld remains a secret, they wouldn't dare. Besides, even if she revealed it to them, they would still need her to guide them there. Only after their arrival and repopulation could they ever hope to dispose of Arden Lyn," she answered. Xizor bowed in respect, apologizing as he did so before wishing her luck though unfortunately, her departure would be inconveniently postponed.

**Normally, when faced with **a military threat or one that was rising, General Grievous needed only a destination and resources to quash the threat. But this one was a special treat: Depa Billaba, one of the few wielders of Vaapad, was on his destination of Mustafar. "Adding her lightsaber to my collection will be a high honor milord. And in case victory is nearer to her than me, I have a little treat for her," he said to Dooku as he revealed a double-sided lightsaber.

"You dare to risk the lightsaber of Darth Zannah, piece of Sith history, to collect your prize from Master Bellaba? She will not only defeat you if you are not careful but she will also take it away from you as a prize of her own," Dooku warned. "I assure you it will not be leaving my grasp very easily or painlessly. As I said, it will only be used if I cannot destroy her through normal means," Grievous replied calmly.

"Remember what would happen if it did, General. Metal is a good conductor of electricity and it will not take all that much to shut down your systems for a few weeks," Dooku threatened. "That won't be necessary milord and while I would love to continue this chat, we will be soon arriving," Grievous replied. "When you do, you may begin your attack, General," Dooku stated with a bow before disconnecting communications.

Sure enough, the fleet came out of hyperspace above the atmosphere of his target. Mustafar. From space, the lava planet looked like it had been destroyed during some apocalyptic war though the General knew better. "Send the droids down to the planet ahead and prepare a shuttle for me. I will be going down with them personally," he ordered as he turned to leave the center chamber of the ship.

**Depa watched as the **Separatist fleet dropped out of lightspeed and she had to admit that they took less time than she thought they would to find out about these operations. "Ready our forces, they'll be coming on this factor like water over rock if we're not ready!" Xizor ordered. "Yes and have them be ready to face their enemies head-on, I will be leading the charge personally. Besides, I sense that gutless cybernetic coward General Grievous with them," Depa added.

"Him? He can hold off seven Jedi with just two of his four lightsabers, he'll destroy you!" Xizor said, having never seen a military threat before. The fact that he didn't know what to do in the face of his first real outside threat intrigued Depa but did not faze her in the least. "None of those Masters knew Vaapad as I do, I'd like to see him try to hold against that," she said before unclipping her lightsaber. Then she concentrated her power against the threat as her Mistress had taught her and started using Battle Meld both to help the Black Sun troops and enhance her own powers.

Initially, this helped the troops do just fine as they faced down battle droids and super battle droids but Depa knew it wouldn't be long before droidekas were brought in. Sure enough, they came rolling down and Depa adjusted her Battle Meld to include them into the droids meant to be destroyed. Before these ones even had time to turn on their blaster-proof shields, Depa grabbed them with the Force and began to combust them before then setting them aflame with pyrokinesis. Before coming to Mustafar, Depa didn't know that fiery worlds like it would make her skill even more powerful than before but she didn't care at the present moment so long as she used it.

Then she decided to do something she never thought she was going to do throughout this entire attack. She decided to use her Mastery of Force Enlightenment to enhance all of her powers from Pyrokinesis to Battle Meld. Briefly, she gestured in the manner that would allow her to access the power before engulfing herself in blinding white light for several seconds. When the light subsided, she felt the enhancement had been successful and smiled as she regained Battle Meld and repeated her use of Pyrokinesis and Combustion for the droids.

For the organic officers she occasionally spotted on the Separatist side, she used Choke to kill them and even noticed that Force Rage had been enlightened too. Very few Jedi knew how to use Enlightenment to also fuel Dark Side powers but Depa was one of them which made her proud. Giving into her anger, she felt the Force flow through her as not only a means to use Meld but a fuel supply. The droids fell before the combined might of Rage, Meld, and the troops of Black Sun who felt the effects of the latter power motivating them to perform better than ever they had before.

Plus, Depa was the only Jedi who knew how to use Meld so that it lacked the group element usually associated with it. She thought about all this as she spun and hacked with her lightsaber in accordance to the principles of Vaapad, watching them fall apart before the blade's unstoppable power. Her prowess combined with Battle Meld began to frighten many of the droids there and some even began beating a hasty retreat as Depa dispatched the dozen or so droidekas with relative ease. The act of Force Combustion combined with Pyrokinesis was more than enough to frighten them but not before a new droid came.

He looked the most human of them all and had what appeared to be a Kaleesh mask and three lightsabers at his waist. "General Grievous, I presume. I must say I am an admirer of your handiwork though I must say your appearance is somewhat disappointing," she stated. "You must be Depa Billaba, tell me: how does it feel to be back in action after a year of sleep?" he asked.

"To be honest General, it feels emboldening and empowering but you will discover why on your own soon enough," she answered. "Who wields an orange lightsaber, anyhow? Oh, only a woman who would want to trigger her own demise sooner than she planned," Grievous retorted before unclipping his sabers. Igniting all three blades, Depa observed his fourth hand go for a blaster pistol and was quick to blast the hand off with a deflected bolt when he fired at her.

After that, their sabers clashed, Grievous using his rotatable hands to his advantage whilst Depa continued to fight with Vaapad as she had before. The General, having never encountered the style before, began to slowly lose ground to the older woman. "Who wields an orange lightsaber except for the woman who will be destroying you, General?" Depa mocked after a time. The General growled and proclaimed that his power was greater than any she would ever see before calling her a fool.

Spinning the bottom right hand at her, he prepared to cut her head off with the green blade but she evaded the blow. When he came back around, she severed the hand and watched as the deactivated saber spun right into her hand for her use. Now he's just down to blue and red blades, excellent she thought to herself. "If you think that power will save you from your inevitable demise, think again General," she said aloud before beginning her usage of Jar'Kai.

**"Milord, General Grievous has **attacked the Mustafar facility of the Kuat Droid Foundries. And he has just informed me that he is engaged with a former Jedi named Depa Billaba," Dooku said. "What would Depa Billaba be doing on the opposite field of Grievous' battle on Mustafar?" Sidious asked. Like everyone else, both Sith Lords had known that Depa had been comatosed by Mace Windu the year before though Grievous was not made aware of it until a few months before.

_ And how would she have known that Maul and Savage were forming an army to oppose my plans? Did she obtain information from the Pykes or some other family connected to Black Sun? Perhaps Lom revealed their survival before he croaked at the hands of Skywalker?_ Sidious asked himself. These were questions that had to be answered and he doubted that the Jedi Order would know how as they were still figuring out the circumstances of Depa's "escape" from the Temple.

To tell them this, however, would mean opening room for them to suspect and wonder where his information was coming from. Republic Intelligence knew nothing of Grievous' attack on Mustafar nor did they know that the Kuat foundries under Black Sun served Maul's design. "If Depa Billaba joins the brothers during the assault on Mandalore, I just may need your assistance in taking them down," he said aloud to Dooku. "Perhaps Grievous will kill her and we will not worry about that," his apprentice replied.

"You said she knows Vaapad, the style invented by Master Windu. I highly doubt he will prove capable of defeating her unless he is lucky," Sidious said. Dooku yielded that point with a shrug and asked his Master if he should have General Grievous report when he is finished. "Regardless of the outcome, it would be wise if he did, yes," Sidious answered with a nod.

"Very well then, I will send him the message demanding a report on his success or failure. And if he fails, make sure that he brings back the double-sided lightsaber of Darth Zannah intact," he added after a moment's pause. Then he disconnected communication with his apprentice and hoped for the best on Grievous' success with the Kuat foundry destructions. It was the only way to be sure that the Maul brothers would be incapable of creating a third factor to add into the Clone Wars.

**After a short trip** in hyperspace, Maul, Savage, Pre Vizsla, and Bo-Katan beheld the Hutt homeworld of Nal Hutta. "The Hutts are the wealthiest criminals in the galaxy and are that way thanks to their extortions of others. They will not be easily swayed into siding with us if they can be swayed at all," Vizsla warned. "If they choose not to submit to our will, it would make for a good test as to the effectiveness of the Kuat droids that Black Sun has secured for us," Maul replied.

"I have heard mixed reports about those things including ones that state they are good only as security guards, not soldiers," Bo interjected. "The dependability of those reports is subject to the credibility of the ones who compose such reports," Maul said. Though he found her statements of blatant mistrust admirable, her lack of subtlety was annoying to him. _This one will prove most difficult to deal with once I steal Mandalore away from Vizsla's control_ he thought but did not say.

She had never trusted him to begin with and once he revealed his more treacherous objectives, it would be even worsened. Luckily, Savage would be ready to aid her in being reunited with her lover once Pre fell before Maul's blade. After that, he could turn back to his revenge against Kenobi and perhaps even use the Duchess as leverage against his old foe. Hostages of nobility had attracted Jedi Knights like wolves to a kill for eons and Kenobi would be no different in such a situation.

_ Then, when he has arrived on Mandalore and has come to a place of our choosing, we will ensnare and kill him. Revenge will be mine, Mandalore will act as a base for my plans of galactic conquest, and all my enemies will fall_ Maul vowed silently. "We're receiving an incoming transmission from the Hutt Council, sirs," one of the pilots said. "Send it through," Vizsla said, which the pilot acknowledged.

Then Maul stepped out in front of him and received the Hutt request for identification. "We come under the protection of the late Lom Pyke," Maul said after some Huttese was spoken. More Huttese came through and to Maul, it appeared as though their requested for permission to land was granted. As if that wasn't good enough, the Hutt Council demanded an immediate audience with Maul and the other leaders of the Shadow Collective.

Their reasoning: they wanted to hear what they had to say as to the rally of their forces and needed to know of Pyke's fate. For years, he had been an excellent client of theirs and if he were dead, they would need to know how his money had been distributed according to his will. "All will be revealed to you in good time, I promise," Maul replied before communications were disconnected. "That was quick, does their greed really consume them that much?" Vizsla asked.

"You will find that that is hardly the beginning of the depth of the greed these Hutts let fester in their hearts until it reaches infectious heights. Nonetheless, if channeled just right, we can apply that greed to our own design and gain the galaxy with their help," Maul answered. Savage stood silent as did Bo, listening to everything their superiors said to each other and observing their movements. While the hulking monster made nothing of it, Bo was deducing what could be going inside Maul's head repeatedly.

******After less than a **day in lightspeed, Arden Lyn finally arrived to Glee Anselm where the Gathering of the tribes of the Ember of Vahla were congregated. "You have done your work well gentlemen and if I am successful, we will be seeing the Vahla with us. Either way, you have played your part out very well and you will be rewarded for your absence of failure," she said. "Milady, with due respect, let some of us go with you," an officer demanded.

"And why should I? If the ferocity of the Vahla is still as great as I remember, they would kill you before you could even shoot them," Arden asked. "But at least we would be dying in honorable combat against them and with you," the officer answered. "So long as you wield blasters to get a job done, you know nothing of honor; that is _precisely_ why I do not bring you," she snapped.

The officer gulped, unknowing of whether to feel insulted or enlightened by Arden's comment. "You are great people but you have no more honor when fighting those who are unequal to you than you would fighting against an equal. In fact, you would have more honor fighting the Yuuzhan Vong than the Ember of Vahla for the former is more technologically advanced than the latter," she explained. He half-smiled, still unsure as to whether or not he should feel insulted by the comment.

But Arden didn't want to waste further words as the Gathering would only be open for three days unless she came down and consulted them. The shuttle was ready in a matter of moments and she could barely contain her excitement at meeting the Vahla again._ My husband Xendor would have loved it if he could live to see this day. He would have undoubtedly wanted his hammer back but not to worry: I will reclaim it in his stead as was foretold_ she told herself.

"I will try my best to find a good landing for you but there are no clearings close to the Temple at which they congregate. Once the shuttle is landed, you'll have to approach the Temple on foot and let us know when you're successful in recruiting the Vahla," the pilot said. "If the will of the Force decrees that I be successful in recruiting the Vahla, then it shall be done. If not, I will do the best I can to make it out alive in time to escape onto the shuttle," she replied.

"Our orders are to turn back if you die and that is precisely what we'll do," the pilot warned. "I understand and I will try my best to keep my skin on, regardless of the outcome," she stated. Then the shuttle landed on a launchpad big enough for it at which point, Arden exited the ship. With sheathed sword in hand, she watched as the shuttle then took off and left her on Glee Anselm with her mission.

Her husband had calculated that the Vahla would prove useful to them again in the future and while he could not see that day come to fruition, she had to admit he was right. The Vahla were some of the most powerful warriors in the galaxy that were neither Jedi or Sith, something Arden could exploit. She would need to restore the culture she and her husband had established before the Sith completely erased the honor in it for their own sakes. However, she would also need elements of current existing cultures such as the Vahla in order to make them suit the times she lived in now.

No longer could the culture she and her husband initiated contain rules that were rather misogynistic by default nature. She also could not afford to exclude aliens from this new society either if she wanted to reap the most benefit for it. Most of all though, she would also have to establish a difference between her apprentice and any other followers. The last observation could be solved immediately by calling everyone else 'students' while she remained an 'apprentice' to Arden.

A caste system of sorts was not entirely out of the question and was practiced by many systems of government in the current galaxy. Though most frequently so in dictatorships and monarchies, this was sometimes practiced in democratic governments as well. The Republic and the Separatists, who currently waged a war on each other, were the greatest examples of democracies with this system. However, her culture could not have a focus on galactic domination or the toppling of one of those major systems.******  
**

That would be the task of Maul's Shadow Collective who would undoubtedly be weak by the time it was through with the CIS and the Republic. If she wanted galactic domination, she would be capable of simply waiting until two of the three sides were destroyed and finish off the remainder. She could also continue with her plan to use Thrawn to destroy all three sides with the Vong before disposing of him. But he would be more suspicious of treachery in the face of such a grand plan and wouldn't let her invade his mind so easily.

_Nor would I want him to if I wanted to proceed with that plan badly enough_ she thought to herself. Unlike the Jedi or the Sith, Thrawn possessed true honor which could be both a strength and a weakness. It just depended on who you spoke to about it and how they would use it to their advantage.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

"So tell me Grievous, you didn't seem surprised that I was here before we began crossing blades? Did you somehow get prior information from someone on the inside?" Depa asked. "Oh yes, a spy of ours you may know as Quinlan Vos was charged with the task of seeing what was going on," Grievous answered. _I suppose that would make sense, he has the ability to hide his presence in the Force as he pleases; perhaps that was why I was edgy around Xizor: because I suspected Vos' presence though I couldn't actually sense it thanks to his Cloaking ability_ she thought silently.

"So Vos is still working for the Separatists, eh? Hardly impressive, if you ask me or surprising for that matter," she said. "Enough talk now, just die!" he said before resuming the duel they had been fighting. She herself resumed her usage of Jar'Kai as he presented another blade on the opposite end of the red blade he had been using which explained the abnormally long hilt.

The two of them continued to clash, Depa's Jar'Kai still overwhelming Grievous' use of a double-sided lightsaber in unison with a traditional Jedi blade. Then, in an unexpected clash of blades, Grievous somehow managed to destroy both the blue blade Depa used and the green one he had. How he did this appeared to be using the double-sided lightsaber to sever her hand off to no avail. "Quite the accidental stroke of genius on your part, General," Depa said, dismissing the weapon she had held.

She merely switched back to Vaapad at this point with some occasional spurts of Ataru energy that threw the good General completely off. In the meantime, the Black Sun troops continued to finish off the battle droids Grievous had brought with him to the point of forcing them on the retreat. "Your forces are rallied and driven back, Grievous. Do you follow their heed and retreat or do you continue and risk capture as well as the theft of that interesting blade of yours?" Depa asked when she noticed this.

Grievous seemed to be at indecision, clearly desiring to add her lightsaber to his collection but also wanting to make sure he got out alive. Her Battle Meld combined with the strength of Black Sun's security have secured her victory against me. It's only a matter of time before they get to my shuttle and destroy it, incapacitating my ability to escape he thought to himself. She smiled him smugly so as to rub the security of her victory in his face so as to hopefully further his decision.

Fortunately for her, it did and when he decided, he first lifted up one of his feet to her face, grabbed it and jumped so as to use his weight to bring her down. "We will meet again Depa Billaba and I will be having your lightsaber added to my collection!" he shouted. Then he let her go and made a bolt for his shuttle so as to be able to survive long enough to report his failure to Dooku. _Hardly the right thing to do when you're a man of honor or emulate the false aura of honor_ she thought.

Watching him flee, she had to pity him: all this prowess and he couldn't kill an old woman wielding an orange lightsaber. _And I am not even anywhere near as old as my Mistress who should be naught but dust long blown away by the winds of time. Instead, she still exists to threaten those who once betrayed her and destroyed all she had once loved_ Depa thought, reflecting on the life of Arden Lyn as it currently was. "Milady, we will soon be disposing of the last battle droids that remain on the docking bays, shall we give pursuit to the General and his other forces?" Xizor asked.

"No, let them go, Grievous is counting on us to push our luck by pursuing him into space where his cruiser can down many of us before we even knock out the shields with what we have. Besides, why continue fighting when we have already won?" she answered. Xizor nodded, accepting that perhaps it was for the better that they let the Separatist commander leave and lick off the wounds in his pride. Besides, the Falleen prince could already brag that he had beaten back one of the more powerful leaders of the Separatists with naught but his guards and the help of a fallen Jedi.

Though if he bragged too much, Dooku would likely arrange another fleet to come back when Depa was gone and incapable of aiding them._ But let's brag about it enough to where the galaxy knows of Black Sun's deeds and is asked how we did it by Republic officials_ Xizor thought with an external smile. "I will still need to leave for Malastare, your Majesty. Could you arrange a shuttle once you've seen to the cleanup work on this base?" Depa asked suddenly.

"Yes milady, I actually had one ready for you before the attack went underway and if we drove them back soon enough, it's still there. The pilot will take you there and then he will report back to me seeing as it's likely going to be a one-way trip for you and your Mistress," Xizor answered, surprised. "It will be a one-way until our work is completed where it needs to be conducted and not a moment sooner," she said. "I understand and with that said, may the Force be with you in your endeavors with your Mistress," he said with a bow.******  
**

******Arden landed on Glee **Anselm and made her way through the village of tents and makeshift camps that the Vahla had set up for the Gathering. Her black robes combined with more than half of her face being covered by the hood intimidated most into leaving her alone. However, those who were not intimidated merely looked on with a strange, confused curiosity at this apparition before them. _They will discover a new meaning to the title Angel of Death if they are not careful_ she thought sinisterly.

Luckily, none of them provided resistance for her as she soon approached the palace the Tribal Chieftains would be occupying. The place was a magnificent sight to behold with towers on every corner, forming it into a square, with a more massive temple in the middle. Undoubtedly, the Master would be meeting in the plateau nearest the Temple and the Gates of their palace. The wealth on this fortress also threw her off as it gave the appearance of having been made from silver and gold.

However, she instantly recognized paint on much of it as well as what was really silver and gold, such as the statues at the top of the Gates and the Temple roof. _But is it fortified well enough to defend against a powerful enemy such as myself?_ she asked silently. Her question was answered most disappointingly when she saw only two guards at the Gates and an old man with a staff. The old man stood at the front of the bridge she would need to ascend, several meters away from the guards.

She also noticed cables on opposite sides of the bridge that seemed to have something to do with the machination of the Gates. So she immediately made an attack plan that she knew would work before hastening her approach toward the front of the bridge that would elevate her to the Gates. First, she lifted the guards up with telekinesis and threw them off the bridge to a watery death below. The old man noticed this but by the time he turned back, she was already shooting bolts of green Force lightning.

So powerful and continuous was the current of lightning that the old sorcerer could do nothing except defend himself with a shield of telekinetic energy. But still, she kept coming even as the shield caused her some strain when she was pouring the electricity on him. As her onslaught intensified, so too did his usage of defensive magic but soon, it would become all too much for even his own capabilities. _Hardly a challenge for someone as ancient as myself, let me guess: another would-be sect of the Sith_ she thought to herself as she smiled.

Then what she had intended for him happened: the shield reflected on the man and exploded his staff. Briefly, a brilliant flash of light clouded over the space where the sorcerer had been but when it disappeared he was burning furiously and screaming in agony. Arden paid no heed as he ran out of her way to try and find a pool of water big enough for him to put out the burning fire that killed him slowly. Instead, the woman pitilessly kept her course toward the gate and even unsheathed her sword to create a crescent blade of energy that cut the lines and began the slow process of opening the Gates.

No doubt, the tribal chieftains would find this surprise most unexpected but Arden Lyn would waste no time on formalities. When she passed by through the Gates, she was immediately greeted with the sight of dozens of Vahla warriors who might have been training were it not for her disturbance. "Is that a Black Angel of Death, I see before my eyes?" an inquisitive Vahla pupil asked.

"Perhaps I can be if you do not back away now," she hissed as she clutched his throat with the Force. When he surrendered, she let him go and continued on her path to the Chieftains she wanted. "We are the Four Chieftains of the Ember of Vahla and we demand that you identify yourself, woman!" one of the leaders shouted. "Good afternoon gentlemen, I am Arden Lyn and now that pleasantries are aside let me get to the point: I need you and all your peoples for a very special mission," she replied.

"What kind of mission?" another asked. "We will go beyond the galaxy's edge, beyond even the Unknown Regions and into the Great Void to fight an enemy unbeknownst to the Jedi or the Sith. Will you come back? That remains to be seen if you are skilled and you are willing to find out the location of your homeworld to which I can guide you in exchange for servitude to me," she replied.

"You _dare_ to profess knowledge that which we ourselves do not possess!?" a third voice boomed, angered and dishonored by her statement. "And do_ you_ dare to insult the wife of the man who gave you the hammer you wield as a symbol of power amongst all tribes?" she replied. "Arden Lyn... if it's really you then your husband was Xendor, the namesake of this hammer," the first one interjected. "How do I put this into blunt terms: duh!" she said with a giggle.

Quickly, she observed that the first voice belonged to the leader of the Northern tribes who also had her husband's hammer. The one who felt insulted was from the West, the one who had inquired about the mission was from the East, and the one who had not yet spoken was from the South. But then the Southerner spoke and asked for a demonstration of her skills.

However, he was immediately stamped out by the Northerner for suggesting such a thing as a demonstration. "Perhaps you are Arden Lyn and perhaps you are not but you have violated sacred ground with the blood of two of our soldiers. Their bodies taint the waters that are below this Palace because of how they were violently killed by your power," he added. Then East and West charged to attack her, accepting South's suggestion that they find out her skill with a blade.

Arden steadied herself for the attack and when the latter of the two got close, she immediately ducked under him before jumping back up and kicking him down his back, smashing him against stone. When she had pinned him to the ground, the Westerner lunged just in time to meet her sword with his spear though much of her blade remained in its scabbard. Quicker than he could react, she hit him in the side of his face three or four times with the sheathed part of the blade. Unsheathing the rest of the blade, she sent several waves in the direction of the Northerner who had decided to intervene in the fight.

West had risen back up and proceeded to attack her with his own sword, which she parried with ease before hitting him with the pommel of hers. By this time, the Northerner had successfully repelled the bursts of energy she had sent his way and was about to hit her with the top of the hammer. Instead, she turned the tables on him by arming her sword with magic that would deflect his blow greatly enough to send him flying into the air for brief seconds and crashing onto the stairs below him. She sheathed her blade, having no desire to keep up the fight if she could avoid it and spoke again.

"This is your last opportunity to join my cause without any bloodshed that is both trivial and unnecessary in the long run," she warned. She didn't want to repeat it so she made certain that this time, she would kill them if they didn't go along with her offer. "Quiet witch! We are the Ember of Vahla and we do not give up a fight we've started until either we've finished it or perished trying!" the Northerner said.

By now, he had risen up from the blow she had dealt him but she knew he wouldn't be living long enough to enjoy it now. "Hmmm, very well," she whispered. Then she followed up on her threat by withdrawing her blade and cutting through the Westerner's arm and neck. She continued by diagonally bisecting the Easterner and concluded by both horizontally and vertically bisecting the Northerner.

None were able to strike after she had dealt the respective blows and all just stood where they were, petrified by the effects of the blade. That was when she finished off with her specialty of slowly sheathing her sword down to the last few inches or so and holding it there for a moment in time. Then she rammed the last of the blade back into its scabbard and watched as the blood and the gore spewed like volcanoes on a lava world.

The head and neck of the Westerner both fell off, the Easterner's upper half slid off the diagonal lower half, and the Northerner split into four equally sized pieces. Their blood stained the floor around them and even flowed to points of intermingling under Arden's black boots. During the chaos, the hammer had fallen from the Northerner's hands but she took it and offered it to the Southerner. "You never lifted a finger which tells me you would have joined me if you were allowed to," she said.

"You would give me what rightfully belongs to you far more than I?" the Southerner asked. "The whole of the Four Tribes would follow you more comfortably than they would ever follow me. Besides that, all you have to do in exchange for the hammer and knowledge of your homeworld is agree to join me for my noble crusade," Arden answered, nodding as she did so. "After careful consideration, I don't think I would have a choice even when faced with such a good deal as that," he admitted.

"Good that you understand that, perhaps renewing my relationship with you and your people will not be such a bad idea after all. But do tell me something now: who could I go to if I felt your numbers were not enough and I wanted another powerful ally to add to my armada of crusaders?" she asked. "I know not of very many tribes outside of the Jedi and the Sith but one powerful one could be the Sorcerers of Tund. But there's one problem: you just killed one of their more powerful members when you came in through the Gates," he answered.

"Would they sense his death greatly enough to know I was the one who did it? Otherwise, I doubt it's anything to worry about unless they can smell him on me," she inquired. These Sorcerers sounded intriguing and she truly did hope that her murdering one of their members would not be problematic. "If they couldn't, I wouldn't be citing it as a problem for your future relations with them," the Southerner replied.

_ Impressive, most impressive; perhaps Xendor would have found them worthwhile if he were with me now_ she thought but didn't say. "When do you think you can have your peoples rallied for a ride in my cruiser?" she asked aloud. "They'll be ready to leave the moment I command them to be," he answered. "Then mobilize them immediately, I want as many to travel with us as you can acquire," she ordered.

"Yes mademoiselle, I will have them ready immediately. There are a few who have become bounty hunters and will not be persuaded to join us. What do we do about them?" he asked before getting to his task. "Leave them, some of your people will need to stay in case none of you who come with me return from our mission; just for gratitude sake if none of you survive," she answered.

He nodded, understanding that it would be a good idea to have some of his people live to share the knowledge with others once Arden gave it to them. "And do tell me something about this enemy: do they know how to counter the Force?" he asked. "Energy-based attacks affect them but telekinetic related bursts have nothing on them," she admitted. "Then you have yourself an army that can destroy any of them: over eighty-percent of our powers are energy based," he said.

_ Good, good. It's just as Xendor and I remember it being when we helped form your present society_ she thought to herself. And when the Vahla were gathered for the mass-exodus off Glee Anselm, she signalled the Chiss Officers to ready accommodations for them. They would be their guests for a long while if not possibly all the way to death, after all.******  
**

**Admiral Thrawn gazed at **the formations presented on the holograms in his communications chamber. The Yuuzhan Vong had gotten bolder since Arden Lyn used Battle Meditation to force them back into the Void from whence they came. First they tried their best to destroy the shield of Killiks that Thrawn and his fellow Chiss had created. When the bugs fought back, they were repelled almost immediately but now they were trying something they had never been documented attempting before.

They were going to attempt to go around all defenses and attack from behind starting from a launching point on the planet Malastare in the Mid Rim. _They do not know about Arden Lyn and her allies, or the Jedi and their Sith enemies for that matter. I wonder if Maul would notice them and think they would be someone to recruit to his cause as well_ Thrawn asked himself silently. But while he was watching their would-be counterattack off to the side he was watching their main force too.

"Keep a careful eye on the Western, Northwestern, and Northern frontiers where Yuuzhan Vong are present. I'm not worried about what's East and Arden will soon dispose of the Southeastern Infiltration Force," Thrawn said, making orders for his troops to follow. A better examination of the Yuuzhan Vong formations also had him worry about the forces coming from the Southwest angle. "Though not a high priority, keep a careful eye on what's going on Southwest of us as well: I don't like what they're doing down there but it's not an immediate threat to our welfare," he said.

_ Besides that, the fortifications in the Southwest, West, and Northwest are far too strong for them to break through unlike the East and Southeast where Arden will meet them directly. The Northeast are almost non-existent which may come in handy when Arden reports success on her mission_ Thrawn observed silently. Stroking his chin and cheeks with his fingers, he made careful note of the weaknesses and strengths of the Yuuzhan Vong formations before him. Then he decided what he wanted to do next: it was risky but worth it if it worked out for the better.

"Play around, stall them, let them think they have us besieged for the moment. When Mistress Lyn and her apprentice report success, I'll have them move in for the kill along with all of our forces," he ordered. "Yes sir," his generals said though they sound a little contempted not to be going offensive immediately. No matter, in the long term, we will emerge on top regardless of Maul's success or failure back in the known galaxy Thrawn told himself.

Still, he did admit it was strange they were taking on these formations now that that their initial efforts were no longer to be relied on. Up until now, they had shown themselves not to be very adaptable unless they deliberately did that to fool him into thinking he would always see the same strategy. If that was their intent, they did indeed manage to sidestep him but only a little bit as he had seen similar adaptabilities amongst the Killiks who now acted as his shield against the Yuuzhan Vong. Perhaps having Arden see what she could do to rescue Vergere from their grasp after all so as to have her information on their culture available for his personal convenience.

It had been suggested before but he didn't think to actually consider exploiting it before due to having no means to save her. The power of two fallen Jedi Masters, however, had proven unequal thus far and could be useful for that goal. _When Arden reports success, I may ask her to do that. Our future victories may depend on what Vergere has to offer for our cause_ he thought but didn't say aloud.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

"There many things the Hutts influence and possess that would be useful to us," Maul stated to the Hutt Council. "_And what of your current ability to pay us if we say yes to joining you?_" Jabba the Hutt asked Lord Maul. At this point, in the discussions, Maul had told them of how Lom Pyke's will had dispersed his wealth mostly across the Shadow Collective though a meager portion went to the Hutts. Another small portion went to all other criminal syndicates not associated with the Collective from the best smuggling companies to the greatest rivals of Black Sun.

"We have no credits," Maul admitted. For while Pyke had indeed funded the Shadow Collective with most of his credits posthumously, it was toward the growth of the Kuat droids mostly. "_But what would we have to devote to you regardless of credits?_" Oruba the Hutt asked. "Your lives in exchange for Hutt space and everything in its borders," Maul answered rather calmly. Simultaneously, the entirety of the Council burst into laughter and Jabba even ordered bounty hunters up.

"_They want our lives so that they can take what we have. Kill them so we can show them why we are the most powerful family in the galaxy!_" Jabba ordered. But not before the bounty hunters known as Sugi, Latts, Embo (accompanied by his pet anooba), and Dengar arose from behind the tables near which the Hutts present in the room sat. After the orders were given, the one called Sugi immediately threw a knife to Maul's head only for Savage to intercept it with the Force.

Maul took the knife from there and threw it right into the head of Embo's anooba, killing it almost on the spot. The guards serving the Hutts immediately replied by opening fire alongside the bounty hunters. Savage destroyed the blaster off one of these troopers before throwing him right into Dengar who would be knocked cold for the rest of the fight. Sugi observed this and quickly returned to fire though it wouldn't be long before Maul Force-Choked another trooper and threw him into Latts.

Meanwhile, Pre Vizsla quickly dispatched the troops attacking him with his wrist blasters and with impatience in his mind, he used his flamethrower to burn the table. This move threw the bounty hunters completely off guard as Maul and Savage finished the last of the troops and begin retreating. The Mandalorian soon followed, using his jetpack to propel himself out of the Hutt chambers and through the door with the Sith brothers. Though they would learn it soon enough, Jabba ordered the bounty hunters to finish off Death Watch and their Sith allies, immediately warranting pursuit.

The leaders of the Shadow Collective made it to a platform where the Night Owls of Bo-Katan would rendezvous with them though Savage had to cut down two more troops. Soon, the three of them were surrounded by the guards of Nal Hutta and the bounty hunters that led them. But sure enough, Bo came to their aid despite mocking the success of the negotiations immediately after making her entrance. "Secure this platform!" Vizsla ordered which was obeyed when Bo and two other troops launched rockets from their jetpacks and vaporized the troops, dispersing the bounty hunters in turn.

As one of the Owls made a run with his flamethrower, Bo observed Latts making use of the bladed ropes around her neck, killing him with it. She charged with jetpack ignited at the bounty hunter only to see the same chain coming at her and forcing her to back up. However, Bo-Katan was agile enough to manage this and wrapped the chain around her arm, incapacitating it. Only when she shot the bounty hunter with a pistol right between the eyes did she feel comfortable with letting the chain go.

Especially when the other three bounty hunters were retreating back into the chambers they had just defended mere moments ago. The Night Owls went ahead, destroying most of the troops that would have kept the brothers and Vizsla at bay as they marched back into the Council chambers. But the remaining bounty hunters had one last surprise for the allies of the Collective. The Zabrak named Sugi leapt from the ceiling and attacked Maul, knocking him down before kicking Vizsla into the air.

Savage moved into kill her but he was thwarted when Embo also ambushed him by throwing his metal hat at his face. As the Kryuzo moved to attack Savage, Maul growled under his breath as he swept Sugi off her feet and began hacking at her with his lightsaber. Again and again she dodged before she decided to successfully kick him in the chin, allowing her time to get back up. Simultaneously, Embo continued his attack on Savage who initially could barely defend himself but came back with a vengeance by punching at Embo's shielded face with his left arm.

The enhancements Thrawn gave it made it so that Embo was helpless as Savage followed with a punch from his right fist, then the left, then the right, until another left knocked him off his feet. In the chaos of the brothers' duels with the bounty hunters, Vizsla recovered his breath and noticed troops who had survived Bo's attack coming towards them. Igniting his darksaber, he immediately began cutting them all down while the element of surprise was still on his side. Eight troops died by the time he was finished hacking them down, one or two slashes usually doing the trick, before he turned back to the Sith.

He watched as Maul's martial arts fight with Sugi continued since she had knocked his lightsaber out of his hand but he wasn't long in overwhelming her. Though he was forced to defend against several punches from her, he eventually managed to grab her arm and start twisting it hard. Bones cracked and Sugi had to employ all her willpower to keep from screaming as he knocked her off her feet yet again. Maul recovered his lightsaber as she caught her breath and too late did she see him ram it into her chest, killing her almost as easily as her knife had killed the anooba.

Savage himself was also gaining the upperhand with Embo as he punched the metal hat out of his hands, kneed him, then used his mechanical arm to snap his enemy's neck. Dengar was the only bounty hunter who had escaped the carnage and Maul let him go, stating that he had no allegiance because of his status as a bounty hunter. It was after all that violence that a member of the Night Owls reported the escape of all the Hutts except for the one called Oruba that had mocked Maul earlier. Maul noticed this and decided to make this interrogation quick and easy on both himself and his allies by being direct with the lone Hutt.

"Where are the others?" he asked. "_I don't know! I don't know!_" Oruba replied. Maul turned away, unamused by this and ordered Savage to kill him. His hulking brother almost complied but Oruba immediately began to beg and state he would talk when Savage ignited his blade.

"Give me a location!" Maul snarled. When Oruba stated that they could be found on Tatooine, Vizsla observed that this was the location of Jabba's Palace. "So the only thing that you can tell me is that I will find Jabba at Jabba's Palace?" he asked rhetorically. With a nod, Maul saw his brother raised his saber over his head and diagonally cut a screaming Oruba down, ending his pitiful existence instantly.

"Shall we go to Tatooine and see if what this one said is true?" Vizsla asked after witnessing that. "No, the Hutts are dishonorable in both life and death. Besides that, we have the Kuat droids to help us in any event," Maul answered, shaking his head as he did so. "With due respect, is Black Sun not the same way as far as honor is concerned?" Vizsla inquired.

"If it weren't for the fact that they were dealing with me, you would be right about that. But Xizor is no fool and knows that what happened to both of his predecessors could also be his fate," Maul replied. "Then Kenobi and Mandalore can now be our priorities?" Vizsla asked as the two of them walked off to speak privately. "They are vital," Maul vowed.

"I'm interested to hear the rest of your plan now that we'll be getting the attack underway soon," Vizsla admitted. For as long as Death Watch had been his allies, Maul had never truly laid out the details of his design before nor did he really want to. But because he was soon reaching the point where he just might not have a choice, he decided it wouldn't harm to explain. "The vision we spoke of before has expanded: you will still rule Mandalore and under your protection, I shall form a new galactic underworld," Maul answered.

Though Vizsla tried to keep his face outwardly calm, his clenched fist would have immediately told Maul of his disagreement with this course if he had noticed. "Mandalore oversees a league of two thousand systems, it gives you great opportunity for your enterprise," he said. "You have learned from your previous oversights, with their combined forces the Republic and the Separatists will be irrelevant," Maul said, surprised Vizsla had apparently complied so easily. "Then are we ready?" Vizsla insisted.

"Mobilize the army, send an advanced guard to the capital. I want a list of targets vital to Mandalore's security. Choose wisely: there will be no second chances like before," Maul replied. He may think there will be but if we launch this plan and it fails, he will be either arrested and executed depending on the extent of Duchess Satine's pacifism Maul silently noted. And as the Zabrak warrior walked off, Vizsla could barely contain his rage which Bo noticed with concern.

"Stay focused, Mandalore will soon be ours and Mauls and his brother will be dead alongside the Duchess!" he snapped before she could ask what was wrong. _Something's got him wired up a little tight. Did Maul say something that frightened him to anger or hatred?_ she asked silently. She decided she needed to try and calm Vizsla no matter what she had to do to do so. This even went to the extent that she was willing to sleep with him again if it helped him become less stressed than he was.

But then, she saw Savage walking next to his brother and she decided that when she had a chance alone with him, she would ask him what his brother gameplan was. Usually, he hadn't known and she could see it in his eyes but she had a feeling Maul would reveal it to him now. The wise were the ones who never trusted all their allies with their official plans before they were ready to initiate them. Savage was apparently amongst the ones his brother had kept in the dark until now and Bo needed to find out what the two of them were up to as soon as possible.

But then, she decided to slap it out of her mind, her judgement affected by her overreacting to the shock of seeing Vizsla unnerved. Both were soldiers and the leaders of soldiers which forced them to avoid showing any sign of weakness in front of the men and women with them. These thoughts were likely inspiring signs of weakness in her just as Vizsla fuming did and she had to erase them soon. After all, if something held her back on Mandalore, she would not be given a chance to enjoy hesitation.

So instead of risking the exposure of any weakness to her soldiers, she decided to go to Vizsla and find out directly from him. After all, they were infatuated with one another and she could flirt with him until he revealed what was aggravating him. It wouldn't take all that much if she did it right but if she did it wrong, he would be aggravated beyond any hope of pleasure. So before she came up to him to begin convincing him to reveal what upset him, she prepared herself by taking calming breaths.**  
**

**Depa Billaba arrived on **Malastare after a couple days of travel on the Black Sun shuttle. She had to admit that uncomfortable would hardly begin to describe it. However, she left the physical description up to those who actually cared about those things such as future passengers of the ship. "Is there anything you need before I turn around, milady?" the pilot asked.

"Yes, for you to turn around right now and go home," she answered. He shrugged, not sure what to make of the comment and prepared the shuttle's engines for a return trip to Mustafar. With our luck, you may make it home on that piece of crap before it breaks down for good she thought. She had called for hotel reservations in advance and thus, she made her way to the place where she had done so.

It wasn't too great but it certainly wasn't too shabby either and she immediately found herself cozy in it. Meditation supplanting her with nurturing energy, Depa was able to foresee things that probably hadn't escaped the attention of her Mistress. One such vision was one of a man in robes that covered all but half of his face and both of his hands igniting two red lightsabers. The vision changed to show him fighting Maul and Savage in what appeared to be Mandalore's Sundari Palace.**  
**

She guessed this was Darth Sidious as Dooku made himself far more obvious in appearance and never wielded Jar'Kai as far as she knew. The vision shifted to somewhere outside the Sundari Palace and Depa watched as Sidious impaled Savage with his lightsabers. It went black after she saw Sidious cut off Maul's feet and begin to electrocute him. She had a feeling this meant the death of the brothers, especially with the clarity of the vision combined with the fact that Maul meant to launch his attack soon.

He'll be counting on the Jedi sending help to the Duchess if they succeed but will he be expecting his old Master's arrival? Maul is intelligent and can calculate many things but has he calculated this possibility or does it still elude him? she asked herself. She doubted he did for the very reasons she had already noted but she was giving him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he had calculated his former Master's arrival but for what intent?

To persuade Sidious to allow Maul back into his fold when the Rule of Two clearly prohibited it? Was it to gain revenge on Sidious for abandoning him after he was sliced on half on Naboo by Kenobi? The latter question seemed the more plausible one to ask but Depa was not about to allow herself to be caught off guard. While the vision would indeed prove to come true, she had to trust that Maul was doing what he did for all the best intentions as far as Sith were concerned.

**The visions that the** Kashi Mer Talisman had presented to Arden Lyn were initially a little confusing to her mind's eye. But she got around to realize what they meant: Maul and Savage would die on Mandalore at the hands of a darker figure than themselves._ Perhaps this is the man called Darth Sidious that Maul displays so much hatred for. Is it so?_ she asked telepathically to the artifact.

_I know all and foresee but I do not tell all. It would be wise of you to learn the difference for yourself. Besides, as it is, you have already expended much of my power without actually paying a price for it_ its voice replied._ I will extract a lot more out of you if you continue to behave like that toward me_ she hissed. "Milady, we have almost arrived to the homeworld of the Sorcerers of Tund," interjected the leader of the Ember of Vahla.

This disturbed her from her meditation with some irritation but she had been expecting this more than she hadn't. "Very good, have a shuttle ready and be sure to come with me and twelve other Vahla warriors you will personally handpick. These Sorcerers of Tund will be far too powerful for me to destroy alone if they recognize my aura, that much is for sure," she said. The vision of the Sith brothers' demises still disturbed her but not so much that she couldn't remain focused on the mission at hand.

_Besides, I have no love for those Sith monsters. Why should I care about what happens to them or not so long as it doesn't affect my long-term plans? And why did I just say that when it is clearly what they would say about me and I am supposed to be better than that?_ she asked herself. She still wondered if she was any better than the Sith and thought of this often whenever she could.

The Jedi of her day betrayed her and her husband out of fear for what they presented before their very eyes. But it was people like Maul and Savage who reaped the benefits of her sacrifice and the death of her husband. Was she responsible for the existence of their evil now thanks to her actions all those millenniums ago? Clenching her first, she was careful not to do it hard enough to drive her nails into her palms and draw blood.

Nonetheless, her hatred and contempt for the Jedi grew to a boiling point whenever she began blaming herself for what happened to Xendor. _You will be avenged when I return from my dealings with the Yuuzhan Vong. I promise you that, my dearest husband and only true love_ she vowed silently. And along that tread of thought, she added that perhaps she would seek out the black robed man of her visions and challenge him to a duel if he was powerful enough to defeat Maul and Savage even when they would fight together against him.

"Is everything in order and ready for our departure?" she asked when she reached the shuttle. "Yes Madam, the Southerner and his warriors await you inside the shuttle. The pilot himself awaits the takeoff command," an officer answered. Good, everything is proceeding as I have desired it, so far she observed silently.**  
**

**"I am sensing massive **disturbances in the Force. It isn't anything coming from Dooku or even the mysterious Darth Sidious for that matter. Rather, it feels like Maul and Savage are returning at last," Obi-Wan stated. The Council had called a meeting to discuss recent tremors that accelerated the growth of the Dark Side's hold over the galaxy too rapidly to be unnoticed.

"I sensed a tremor at the tomb of Ahsoka Tano shortly after her funeral, myself," Plo Koon agreed. "What could this all mean? Could the brothers be returning with an ally, the likes of which neither we nor Sidious have ever seen before?" Anakin asked. "Sure of anything, I am not but fearful of what it might be, I am not," Yoda answered.

"With all due respect Master Yoda, sometimes it's wise to fear what the future may uphold for us all. Do you not fear the future of the Order if Maul and Savage were back with a powerful ally that even Sidious couldn't create or destroy?" Obi-Wan asked. "But that still wouldn't explain the presence I sensed at Little Soka's tomb after I went there to say goodbye alone," Plo Koon interjected. "Perhaps the source of the presence somehow sensed Ahsoka's death and took pity that it happened," Obi-Wan suggested.

"Why would it take pity if killing Jedi was a known stake of the riot operations?" Koon inquired. "I don't know, I don't know. But perhaps it's because this one has a less stone-cold heart than Maul and Savage would," Kenobi replied. Yoda nodded in agreement, aware of the fact that there were those who used the Dark Side that were not without remorse or pity.

"Correct you might be Master Kenobi but for now, a warning and a sign of dark times to come we must see this as," he admitted. "These are indeed dark times for the Republic and I fear it will only be worse before it will be better. The future of the Jedi Order is at stake: do we forsake our most honorable traditions for survival or do we cling to them only to see our downfall?" Ki-Adi Mundi asked. "Only time and the will of the Force shall reveal to us what we must do, that's for sure," Master Windu said.

The Council was adjourned after that on the premise of coming back to the matter once it all was over. They even put a sanction on any members of the Jedi Order going out on missions without the explicit authority of the Council. In Obi-Wan's case, this meant going to track down Lord Maul if he had indeed survived unless they thought it wise to do so. Luckily for Kenobi, he knew he could count on Anakin's desire for occasional disobedience to be in handy if his personal vendetta against Maul required quicker attention than the Council could approve of giving him. _Perhaps it's one of the best things I've taught him: being a maverick in philosophy just like Qui-Gon was before Maul struck him down all those years ago_ Obi-Wan thought with a half-smile as he walked off to his quarters.


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Arriving on Concordia in time to rendezvous with the Kuat droid soldiers they had accumulated, Maul, Savage, and Vizsla were busy studying the map Vizsla had created of Sundari in advance. "Where are my targets?" Maul asked, hoping Vizsla had done as he had asked on Nal Hutta with acquiring the information he sought about Mandalore. Fortunately for him, Vizsla had done just that and revealed that he had identified eight locations marked by red bubbles on the map. "However, as I've said before, if we try to take Mandalore by force our people will turn against us," the Death Watch leader added.

Maul thought carefully about Vizsla's words knowing that they would need the people on their side to defeat the Duchess. Then he replied by saying, "I will use my army of Kuat droids to attack different targets across Sundari and sow chaos to undermine the Duchess' rule. Our soldiers will make her look too weak to maintain control then you and your Death Watch will capture and arrest my brother and I whilst destroying the droids. Bringing order where Satine's weak government couldn't."

Vizsla thought about the implications of this plan, knowing full well that if he could persuade the people to join him, his transition to ruler of Mandalore would be smoother. "We'll be saviors," he said aloud. "Exactly," Maul replied, nodding. "A good plan," Vizsla said before Bo acknowledged her own agreement and went to prepare her troops.

At that point, Vizsla and Bo both left, accompanied by the remaining Pykes who had agreed to see to the escortation of the droids so as to meet the Sith and Death Watch on Concordia. When Maul and his brother were alone, Savage immediately began to voice his concern with the flaws of the plan. "I believe Vizsla will betray us," he said. Maul had given that a thought even before he had concocted this most recent political device that would work if done correctly.

_Savage is catching on to the ways of our allies, honorable as they are compared to pirates they do have a dash of boldness that may prove dangerous for us_ Maul thought silently. However, to his brother, he replied aloud: "We have no other choice; we cannot rule openly without drawing the attention of the Jedi. We need Vizsla as the face of our rule, for now." Savage looked pouty at that reply but what he said next truly astounded and impressed his older brother.

"The promise of wealth will find us a new face on Mandalore," he said. _Dull as he might be most of the time, Savage has his moments that really stand out. All in all, this has actually caught me off guard more than it hasn't_ Maul thought. When he replied to that comment, he tried his best not to let his surprise show but it was likely to no avail considering the magnitude of it.

"You've learned well, my apprentice. Greed never fails to motivate," he stated with a smile at the pride of his brothers genius. _The only trouble would be to find someone who is motivated easily by greed once we are forced to dispose of Vizsla_ he thought to himself. One of the Pykes came in and asked what part they would play once the attack was underway.

Maul smiled, having realized that he overlooked the Pykes' desire to be involved in the Takeover of Mandalore. "Ah yes, I have completely overlooked you and your brothers as would have displeased the late Lom Pyke. Go find Vizsla: tell him that there has been a slight alternation as to who gets captured besides myself and Savage," Maul said, answering the Pyke's concerns. Smiling, the alien left Maul and Savage alone to continue with their more secretive and elusive plans.**  
**

**Stepping out of the **tent, Bo decided it was best to personally take any final concerns she had about the allies of the Shadow Collective to Vizsla himself. Luckily, he was right behind her in coming out of the tent and all she had to do was turn around to face him. "It's a risk to trust those monsters! How do we know they will keep their end of the bargain?" she asked bluntly.

"We need those Sith and those thugs to cause some pain and show the Mandalorian people how weak Satine really is. After this is done, no one will doubt why we're in power. Most will welcome us," he answered. "Then what?" she continued.

"Then we execute Maul and those thugs. Those criminals will scatter and Mandalore will be ours!" he replied. This settled any doubts she had about the Sith brothers and Vizsla's ability to stay on top of them. She marched off with a smile on her face but there was still one matter left to attend to: not too long after the last time Bo and Vizsla made love, she had cramps and pains she hadn't felt before.

Taking a test that the Pykes had available on their property she confirmed that she was officially pregnant with Vizsla's child. Luckily though, the test had stated that she had only been pregnant for three days thus unable to affect her ability to fight on Mandalore much. In fact, if all went well and the Sith were indeed executed with their thugs, she could potentially give birth to Vizsla's heir. The thought of that excited her but at the same time, it frightened her to her core.

What would she do if, despite the low likeliness of it, the pregnancy did indeed interfere with her fighting? Was she going to have to explain to Vizsla what happened she was wounded by a random blaster bolt and possibly about to die? But worst question of all: should she even tell him she bore his baby within her? Too many questions and not much time as he would be expecting the troops to be prepared so as not to aggravate Maul's already-impatient temperament.

Briefly, she gave a speech to the troops of the Night Owls clan that basically told them good luck and to die with honor if dying was necessary. _Maul might have his Kuat droids attack us when we go in to destroy them. I want my men and women being extra careful when they deal with them on Mandalore_ she told herself. If she was going to have to be vigilant, they weren't going to be allowed any slack in the matter either.**  
**

**When Arden Lyn arrived **to the homeworld of the Sorcerers of Tund, she had to admit she found herself a little disappointed by its appearance, all in all. The outside looked uglier than anything she had even seen before and honestly, she was disappointed with what the inside looked like too. _And powerful descendants of the Ancient Sith call this home... One has to wonder sometimes, one has to wonder indeed_ she thought to herself.

Ordering yet another shuttle, she also arranged for a team of Vahla warriors to come down with her in case the Sorcerers tried to kill her. The chances were very high that this would be the occurrence while she was down there and though she had the Talisman, she was never good at fighting multiple opponents. Yes, she had proved her skills against Xendor during what might now be considered a taboo mating ritual but that was one-on-one while this was one-on-Force knew how many.

The skills of the Ember of Vahla also needed to be tested so that she knew what she was getting out of her alliance with them. _Just because they are famous for their skill does not mean they actually are as skilled as they are made to be. I will be very disappointed if they do not live up to their reputation and I am forced to resort to my Talisman to escape_ she thought to herself. Besides that, it would also be an excuse to call the self-destruct of the cruiser and wipe them all out in a swoop.

Besides that, she never liked sharing a whole lot of space with a lot of people anyway. Xendor and experience had both taught her that the bigger the crowd, the stupider it likely was. With few exceptions, minds became only stupider with accumulation and time for that accumulation to take place. "If we last long enough, it won't be long before not only do we have the galaxy but the people also forget why we fought the Jedi in the first place," Xendor had said.

"Is that not the point in which we can relax or no?" she had asked. "Yes but that's until the next time the stupid masses feel threatened by an outside force. Then they'll beg us to come back into action or they'll force our descendants into it if we are dead," he had answered. "In that case, let's hope we do a good job now so we never have to worry about that later," she had said before the conversation ended.

Remembering that, she also remembered that it was one of the last ones they had before he was killed on Colomus. Once again, she found herself clutching the scabbard of her sword with excessive force. This was probably because of the memory of his death coming in and once again setting her mind against the Jedi she would face once she returned from dealing with the Yuuzhan Vong. The descendants of those who betrayed her and murdered Xendor would pay dearly and there was no escape now.**  
**

**Seeing most of his **forces rallied by the united Chiss and Killik forces was a dishonor to Tsavong Lah. Though he had fought a human named Arden Lyn and should've been dead by all rights, he found himself thankful she had chosen to spare his life instead. Now he could voice his concerns for an even greater dishonor than his defeat occurring amongst his own people. The Supreme Overlord, Quoreal, had refused to begin launching a full-scale invasion which had been the goal of stalling the Killiks and the Chiss forces.

"Without fulfilling our goals, there is no purpose in fighting the Chiss and Killiks any longer! What honor is there if we do not deliver on our vows for universal conquest? We already have most of the neighboring galaxies in our grasp and more will follow so what stops us from taking this?" Tsavong asked. "Apparently there has been a revelation made by the priests of the Supreme Overlord that takes precedence over our desire to honor our vow," his father, Czulkang, answered.

"I have never believed in tradition except for my own designs. But I do fear that Shimrra may be displaying the same cowardice that had provoked him into killing his predecessor. I wonder if it's the work of that pathetic welp Onimi in which case, we've underestimated his talents," Nom Anor agreed. "Onimi is a Shamed One whose presence should never be allowed to taint the hands of the Supreme Overlord, what business does he have influencing Shimrra's decisions!?" Tsavong snarled.

"Patience, my son, that is what you lack and that is why you must leave the talking to me and Nom Anor. Much as I do not agree with Anor, normally, I must admit I have begun to wonder the same thing," Czulkang stated. Tsavong merely scoffed and followed his father and Nom Anor into the chambers of the Supreme Overlord. He had not seen it before so when he saw the vast wealth and grandeur that decorated it, he was amazed.

_How much of this was accumulated thanks to Quoreal's payday in comparison to Shimrra, I wonder?_ Tsavong asked silently. Alongside his father and Anor, Tsavong bowed before the Supreme Overlord in respect only to be directed to rise on Shimrra's signal. "Milord, until as recently as a few weeks ago, you have been making repeated attempts to break into the enemy galaxy before us. Despite being temporarily being beaten back by a power yet to be understood, we have almost reclaimed those lost lands but now you have stopped the attacks.

"Like Warmaster Czulkang Lah and his son, I must know why this is so," Nom Anor said, speaking first. Shimrra said nothing at first but merely chuckled at what Anor had brought to his attention. "Never fear Intendant Anor, I am very well aware of what I have done and what we were close to reclaiming. However, I recently ordered a counterattack that is designed to go around our current enemy's defenses and undo them from behind.

"Once the force I have sent has reported success, we will then destroy what is left over and make our way into the rest of the galaxy. The way I have heard it, the space they call the 'Known Galaxy' has been waging a war within itself that we can end gloriously. We will wait for the moment and when the counter force has reported success, we will move again," Shimrra explained. _That is not Supreme Overlord Shimrra talking, that sounds like something Onimi would suggest_ Tsavong thought but didn't say.

"With all due respect sir, we could make a push for it now and conquer their forces within the next week or so. Why wait for a counterattack who's likely not to succeed when you have the fortifications to press an immediate attack on our enemies?" Czulkang asked. "That is a good question and I shall answer it in only one way: there would be no honor in it for us," Shimrra answered. The enemy we face hardly deserves any honor if Arden is the reason they have survived this long Tsavong thought, remembering the power he had observed in Lyn when she killed the troops with him.

He had told no one of Arden Lyn's existence nor did he think it would be necessary to do so. If she came to the Yuuzhan Vong, he would deal with her himself, something his father would never have the honor of doing if Tsavong had a chance to view recordings of her coming. _She and any allies with her will make in proving once and for all that I am worthy of taking my father's place as Warmaster of Domain Lah_ he added to himself silently.

Shimrra then stated that if the trio had nothing else, they were to be dismissed immediately. Nom Anor replied that though he did have business with the Supreme Overlord, it was not business that couldn't wait for another time. Tsavong and his father, on the other hand, bowed in respect and exited the chambers though Anor would soon follow suit. It was when they were alone that from the shadows, Onimi came to Shimrra once more, having used Force Cloak to disguise his presence from the Vongsense of the others.

"So they have been shut up for now as far as galactic invasion is concerned?" he asked immediately. "Not to worry my friend, they will not bother you or me though they will not agree with our plans. I warn you that if we take this too far, they will turn on me just as they turned on Quoreal before me," Shimrra stated. "If you keep them in check long enough, their disagreements will be irrelevant regardless of their explosion," Onimi replied.

"I feel like a repeat of Quoreal and I have not even been on the throne for a decade already. Could it be possible I will suffer the same fate though only the reason will be different?" Shimrra asked. "Hardly milord, you will be remembered as the greatest of the Supreme Overlords when this is over. Nom Anor, Czulkang Lah, and Czulkang's son Tsavong will all bow in respect for the brilliance of the plan once it is all over," Onimi answered, using Force Manipulation in small, invisible doses.

_It's quite simple really: promise him he will be the greatest when this plan is successful, use him to implement, then execute him with the Force when it's over. So simple and yet so complicated due to the time it will undoubtedly require and the patience on my part_ Onimi thought. Smiling, he watched as Shimrra thought over the implications of that and sighing to signal that he had settled into it. "You know something, Onimi: it's a shame that you were dubbed a Shamed One when you are clearly qualified to be much more," he said.

"My liege, I do not desire more than to be in a position where I can act as your personal consultant. What I had in the past is in the past and what the Elite presently think of me is hardly a concern to me nor should it be to you. Just worry about keeping the more rebellious, traditional members of your people in check until we can initiate the final stages of our goal," Onimi replied. "Excellent and that I shall do, you are dismissed for now, Onimi," Shimrra said to which Onimi answered by nodding and turning to leave.**  
**

**"Milady, reports have just **come in that the security forces on Concordia have mysteriously disappeared. Their last report came in four days ago and we have received nothing since," Prime Minister Neptune stated. "Death Watch is coming?" Satine asked. "Though there is no evidence that can yet support that, it is a possibility we are highly considering," Neptune answered.

"Have someone investigate this and see if their hand has been played in the disappearance of the security forces. Be careful though: if they have or someone worse than them has, it could become very dangerous," she ordered. "I will be sure to do that milady, when the first report comes in, I will be sure to let you know," Neptune said. _If the reporter survives to make the first report, you mean_ Satine thought but didn't say.

Neptune sent a scout out and stated that he must report back as soon as possible should he have something. After that, he turned back to Satine and asked what to do if there was an attack by anyone. "If there is an attack, we can only hope it's by Death Watch so as to be allowed to call the Republic for assistance. But Vizsla is no fool: he knows he needs the people on his side in order to openly challenge me.

"I fear he may provide something to fake heroism and turn the people against my rule. If he succeeds in that, the people will want my head even if Vizsla places me in jail," she answered. "So you're basically saying that we should do nothing until we are indeed attacked by someone?" he insisted. "It's the best thing we can do, Prime Minister though I wish there was something better that we could do to prevent this," she answered.

"Perhaps we can have security spread across Sundari to protect our vitals from an attack. Tell the people it is a drill so that way they do not become too suspicious," he suggested. "No, don't tell them it's a drill: it will give them one more reason to hate me if Vizsla successfully fakes heroism. Tell them the truth but tell them that they will not be harmed if we can help it," she replied.

"Either way, we are in trouble with them as well as any enemies we will have but I guess that's the lesser of two evils," he admitted. Then he left, leaving her alone in the throne of Sundari Palace once again._ If only Kenobi were here with me now... Much as I may disagree with his principles of keeping the peace, his company is far more comforting than any other_ she thought silently.

The two had agreed to be only friends a year ago but she had to wonder: was that really wise? Somewhere across the stars, Kenobi was running a mission for the Jedi Order or leading a battalion of clones into yet another victory that would keep the security of the League of 2000 in check. If it wasn't for sacrifices like his and those of the entirety of the Republic, Satine wouldn't be the leading influence of two thousand neutral systems. She was thankful to him and his former apprentice called Skywalker but it was much more than that.

Years ago, before the Clone Wars, Kenobi had helped Satine build a foundation on which to set Mandalore on the path that accumulated to this. With the aid of Qui-Gon Jinn, who she heard had been killed twelve years ago, Obi-Wan had protected her and liberated her influence from those who would kill her. During that time, she had fallen for him in a way she would had never fall for anyone before or since. He had not only returned it but had secretly helped her act on their mutual feelings for each other when Qui-Gon had disappeared for several days to scout ahead.

_Qui-Gon was like the father we all wished we could have but seldom ever do have. It is truly quite sad to know that he's dead_ she said to herself. But she also knew that the man who killed Jinn was still alive and still rampaging across the galaxy rather explosively. It made her feel that perhaps Mandalore was the next planet to fall before his rampage; what would she do if a Sith Lord like him decided to take Mandalore and its resources for himself? She shuddered at the thought of it happening.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Bo-Katan had managed to get her troops prepared and now she could relax for the rest of the voyage to Mandalore though it would be a very short one. However, she knew she could not relax... not until she had told Pre the truth about their child. Luckily for her, Maul and Savage had taken the droids and the Pykes and gone ahead to Mandalore, signaling when they would begin their reign of terror. So when she saw that Pre was alone in his tent, she had to admit that for once, she wasn't worried about him being surrounded as would normally make her comfortable.

"In time for tea Bo, come join me," he said immediately after he saw her. She noticed it was his favorite kind of tea and smiled to herself as she drank it in. "You look troubled, is something on your mind?" he asked. _How he reads my expressions so well is beyond me, I can't even understand them sometimes myself when I see them in front of a mirror_ she thought.

But when she answered, she stated there was something she had to tell him after sipping some tea. "Is it about the brothers, the thugs, or Mandalore?" he asked. "No, it's something about us," she admitted. Pre raised an eyebrow, suspicious of what she had to say though not entirely beyond reason just yet. How can I say it to him without it being overwhelming for both me and him? Bo asked herself silently.

Then she concluded that the only way to do that was to do it honestly. "Remember the last time we made love, which was on Mon Calamari, if my memory isn't mistaken?" she asked. "I'm listening," he answered. "Well... a few days after that, I began getting cramps and morning sickness and I hadn't had cramps since my last period three months ago.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that the tests I took shortly after that came out positive. As of right now, I carry our child in my womb," she said, pulling one of Vizsla's hands to her belly. He gulped more than enough to make himself cough in surprise at what she had told and shown him. "How come you didn't tell me this when it actually began?" he asked after several minutes of silence.

"Because I feared what you would say or do to me if you found out I beared your child on the eve of our duty's completion beginning," she answered. "You never need to fear what I will do to you, this child you bear shall be our heir when I am Mandalore and my time to step down has come," he said. Bo smiled, relieved that Pre would never harm her or their child, and kissed him on the cheek before thanking him aloud. "Hey, I know you already got one baby on the way but want to get some more loving in before we have to leave for Mandalore?" he asked.

She laughed, glad that he still retained much of his old sense of humor and nodded to admit acceptance of his offer. He grabbed her hand then and lifted her from her chair before sweeping her into his arms. She screamed in surprise and laughed when she realized how silly her own scream sounded as he smiled down at her. "Not so fast, Your Highness, we still have the whole night to kill, remember?" she asked as she stroked his chin.

"You say that like you want it all night long," he said. "Why else would I say that, jackass?" she snapped back at him. "Watch your tone little lady, just because you're pregnant doesn't I want give your butt some smacking," he replied, encouraging the romance of the situation. "Just get us underway before the night's gone; it will be faster than we'd like it to be as it is," she said before they began.

**"A new face on **Mandalore will require someone not in the favor of Death Watch but has also fallen from the graces of the Duchess. Someone who currently resides within the prisons of Mandalore. Do you know anyone like that, Savage?" Maul asked. "No brother, I will need to access the records on Mandalore and possibly the Duchess' own knowledge in order to find that out," Savage answered.

_I had never planned on killing her before I have my revenge against Kenobi at any rate. Only thing that truly stands in my way besides him is Lord Sidious and I will deal with him soon enough_ Maul thought to himself. "Then we keep the Duchess alive at least until she relates the information we need to us then we wait for Obi-Wan to fall into our trap," he said aloud. "How do we know Kenobi will take the bait?" Savage asked.

"Like any member of the Jedi Order, Obi-Wan will feel compelled to selflessly sacrifice himself to save her life. But from what I've heard, Kenobi also has a personal tie to the Duchess, making him more likely than the rest to help her. She will report what has happened as best she can to the Republic and beg Kenobi to come. And because he cannot help himself, he will... then we'll have him," Maul answered.

"You say that like the Order will not help the Duchess or her Mandalorians," Savage said. "May I remind you that the Jedi are servants of the Republic? Mandalore is a neutral system and that means that the Republic has no authority in Mandalore. Kenobi will have to come alone if he wants to save the Duchess without involving the Republic and alone he will come," Maul replied.

"Sirs, we'll be nearing Mandalore soon and I suggest we get ready for our little party. Wouldn't you says so?" a Pyke asked. Maul saw Mandalore on the horizon and nodded at the alien, stating that he had done well to remind the brothers. "Savage, go with the Pykes to the Central Bank and perform a robbery.**  
**

"The Kuat droids shall cause chaos elsewhere so that Death Watch can have all their prisoners in one place while those they destroy are separate. Once you have performed the feat, let me know on the comlink if at all possible. If you cannot, I will assume that Vizsla and the Death Watch have captured you and sent you to the prison. In the meantime, I shall contact him once the attacks are under way and let him know that it is time for him and Death Watch are needed on Mandalore," Maul said.

The Pyke nodded as did Savage and while they went about dispersing themselves amongst the targets highlighted, Maul stayed in his ship. He would need communications nearby once he saw that the attacks had started which didn't take long to start at all. Savage was soon reporting being on his way to the bank, the Kuat droids were destroying the targets they were assigned. As an added bonus, the droids were killing any and all innocent people caught in their paths with the blasters created for them by Xizor.

_Excellent, that shall fuel Vizsla's credibility all the more positively. He will be needing it when he makes his entrance into Mandalore after I give him the signal_ he thought to himself. Maul made the signalling transmission and watched as the magic happened before his own eyes. Soon, the citizens of Mandalore were rallying to the Sundari Palace, demanding answers to the attacks from Satine.

_She will attempt to calm the people down but they will be far too aroused by the attacks to listen to reason. Distasteful, they will side with Death Watch when the criminals and my brother are rounded up_ he thought with a smile. He also smiled at the fact that it would soon be time to dispose of that idiot and his short sighted fools. Especially that girl, Bo-Katan, that Vizsla enjoyed sleeping around with so much.

**"Duchess, the shipping docks** are under attack!" Neptune shouted. "By whom, Death Watch?" she asked. "No, it appears to be a crime syndicate. Our guards are helpless against their numbers and the people are demanding we do something to stop them," he answered.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let us go answer their concerns to the best of our ability, Prime Minister," she ordered. Dressed in formal speech attire, Satine was surprised to behold a massive crowd of angry Mandalore citizens who were also scared. "I need you all to remain calm, these attackers are just thugs brought on by the lowest element!" she began. But as she continued, she noticed the people becoming increasingly aggravated but that was hardly the worst of it.

It began to spiral out of control when Pre Vizsla and the Death Watch came in, chastising her government for being weak in the face of this new threat. "Death Watch, guards stay back! Vizsla, you must be the one responsible for these attacks!" she said, immediately guessing why they were here. But his answer surprised her beyond all belief and while she knew he was lying, the people didn't.

"No I am not responsible but I can offer a solution," he said. Stunned, she helplessly watched as he continued to speak before the people where she had been just moments ago. Taking his helmet, he began by introducing himself as Pre Vizsla of Clan Vizsla. "Death Watch is here to save you from these intergalactic gangsters that threaten our great city; this is a war and we will win," he added.

The people began applauding at his words and the Duchess' surprise turned to sad humiliation as he continued. "Join me and let us defend Mandalore against the criminals. We need action, not pacifism," he concluded. "Do not listen to him! His war will cause the end of Mandalore as we know it," she said at last, having heard enough of his lies.

But he immediately countered by saying that they were under attack. "There is no time for discussion!" he said to more applause. He then began taking off on his jetpack with two soldiers he had came with before leaving, he stated one more thing. "The name Mandalore will inspire fear into these thugs!" he said as the people chanted his name.

Satine sensed that there was no point in attempting to persuade the people that Vizsla was a fraud and a thief of political power._ Besides, if I did that then next thing I know, the people of Mandalore will be throwing trash and glass bottles at me. Even spitting on property with my stamp on it in retaliation for me crushing their hopes and dreams that orient around Vizsla_ she thought. Then she ascended back up to the Palace and sat on the throne she knew she would not be holding for very much longer.

**"Open up the bank, **we're here for a withdrawal!" a Pyke said as he pointed a blaster pistol at the guards of the Central Mandalorian bank. "Guards now!" the commander said as a signal for more soldiers to come out from behind the door. "The Pyke family is attacking the vaults, send reinforcements," the same commander said into a comlink. At that point, the Pykes couldn't help but laugh as they stepped aside to reveal their secret weapon: Savage Opress.

Igniting both ends of his double-sided lightsaber, Savage held out the weapon in front of him in hopes that the guards would be stupid enough to make him use it. To their satisfaction, they were as the commander ordered his men to fire on him. For Savage, this was all too easy as he spun his blade in full circles in front of him, deflecting fire right back at the men who sent the bolts out. Two guards survived and began retreating as he held his saber out in front of him again, growling under his breath as he finished them off before cutting an entrance into the bank.

With the Pykes following him, Savage gave no thought or room for thought as he continued deflecting blaster fire and cutting soldiers to ribbons. Their screams of agony fueled his arms with strength and the fear of those alive fueled his own power. At some points during the fight, it came to a boiling point as he decided to use the Force to throw soldiers aside. Those immediately caught in the shockwaves did not survive and those who weren't survived along long enough to be gunned down by the Pykes.

And as Savage continued to clear a path to the credits that would be robbed from the bank, some of the Pykes began planting explosives. Part of the plan had been for Savage and the Pykes to rob the banks before then blowing up the main vault. That part was now being initiated and when the main vault was finally breached, the Pykes took as many credits as they could grab. Then they stuffed them in suitcases just in time for more of their people to plant explosives in the main vault before retreating with Savage.

**"If the people are **beginning to follow you, it is time for Death Watch to take action. Make sure you put on a good show," Maul said in his transmission to Vizsla. The hologram fuzzed slightly but Vizsla didn't let it bother him so long as the transmission was being sent out all right. "As you wish, Lord Maul," Vizsla replied enthusiastically.

Then he disconnected the transmission and ordered for some Death Watch soldiers to be sent to the shipping bay. The security forces there would need to be liberated from the Pykes and their portion of the Kuat droids there. But when he was asked about the bank, he replied by saying that Savage was there. "I will deal with him myself as I am the only one with the blade skills to do so," he added before disconnecting that last transmission as well.

_With our luck so far, he will give me a good enough sample of skill to put on that good show. But at the same time, he won't be easy to take down either; quite formidable_ Vizsla thought to himself. "Sir, we're approaching the banks and Savage will soon be getting out if our scanners indicate correction in his location," a soldier said. "Good, then circle around and be ready to intercept him at the rendezvous point just like we planned," Vizsla ordered.

The ship was immediately put west of the bank and as he waited, he also heard an explosion emanating from the front entrance. That portion of the plan was complete and soon Savage would be coming out and running from Mandalorian security. Smiling, he prepared his saber for when Savage would undoubtedly be having his ready to face him. However, he decided to leave his helmet behind so that way the Mandalorian people could see his face as he took Savage down.

The ship lowered into a hover above the balcony and Vizsla waited by its exit for Savage to come around. "Keep up, you weaklings!" he heard Savage say in the distance. A woman's scream followed which indicated that Savage had likely thrown someone over the edge. Whether that actually was the case or not, Vizsla wouldn't bother to explore at all.

Then the inevitable came and he ignited his darksaber as Savage charged toward him, running away from the guards only to be forced to ignite his own blade. While the soldiers with Vizsla rallied the Pykes, Vizsla briefly exchanged blows with Savage before knocking him down with a kick. "This monster will never again trouble the people of Mandalore any longer! Take him away, captain," he said to the guards who witnessed.

Though neither they nor other members of the Death Watch noticed, Savage smiled at Vizsla. Impressive bladework, too bad it will not hold against my brother when you intend to betray him. Or me if I am given a chance to retaliate against you, for that matter Savage thought. Then the cuffs came on and he was taken to the Sundari like all the other crime lords.

After the last of the criminals had been rallied and sent to the prison, Vizsla decided it was time to pay the Duchess a little visit. He knew that she would not fight him both out of principle and knowing the people were on his side now. _Just wait until I see the look on her face when I take everything from her and become the new Mandalore_ he thought. Then he wondered how he would dispose of Maul and Savage after he had taken rule of Mandalore from the weak, pacifistic Duchess.

**"Duchess, Vizsla and his **men have entered the Palace. Should we stop them?" Neptune asked. "How can we? The people are on their side now," she answered grimly.

Then she watched as Vizsla and Death Watch entered, blasters pointing at everyone. Her guards replied by readying their staffs for fighting but she stopped them. "There will be no bloodshed," she ordered. When Neptune tried to dissuade her, she retorted by saying that she would not be persuaded to violence by terrorists.

"Listen Duchess, do you hear the people? They cry out for change, your weak-minded rule of Mandalore is at an end. The resurrection of our warrior past is about to begin!" Vizsla replied. More soldiers came and Satine was helpless as she, Neptune, and her guards were all dragged away to Sundari prison.

But Neptune did not give up too easily and even tried to fight Death Watch on his own before they gunned him down. More of her guards tried to fight them but she immediately ordered them to stand down as she continued to be dragged to the dungeons. Then Vizsla took his seat and became the new Prime Minister whilst Satine observed her sister, Bo-Katan, bringing up the thugs that had attacked Mandalore. _Why she dares to slander the family name with her involvement with Vizsla is beyond me but perhaps she will see reason someday_ Satine thought, pitying her sister.

It wasn't long, thanks to the transports, before she arrived at Sundari prison and preparing for the new life she would undoubtedly be living: as a prisoner. By this time, Death Watch had taken over the prisons and retired the previous guards but they looked at her with zeal beneath their helmets. At last, the Duchess who represented all they hated most about what happened with Mandalore was in their care. Upon arrival, she was thrown into a cell and she watched as the guards she had earlier were also moved to cells of their own.

"You cannot hold me here, I am the Duchess of Mandalore! Your actions will bring our civilization to ruin!" she shouted as she helplessly watched. "Is that you Satine?" a familiar voice she observed as ex-Prime Minister Almec asked. When she said as much, he asked if she was here for a visit or if "peace had betrayed her too".

"Peace exists only in the minds of the faithful," she replied. "And faith has been the greatest disappointment," he snapped. "Only when it is broken... what you did for the people as Prime Minister betrayed their trust," she stated calmly. "And you betrayed mine, destitution leaves little room for faith!

"My actions allowed the people hope in your leadership. The supplies I bought on the black market kept you in power," he noted. "Another error of judgment, the people making willing sacrifices for their freedom. Corruption is not the answer!" she shouted as she placed a hand on her head in pain of what she was realizing.

Laughing, his retort was short and to the point but it also ended their conversation altogether. "Then enjoy your freedom, Duchess. You will have plenty of time to tell me all about it," he said as he sat back in the seat of his prison cell. And as much as the Duchess hated saying so, and didn't aloud, she had to admit that he was right about that.

_I forged a government from scratch that brought peace to a world divided by tribal warfare for eons. It was I who redefined Mandalorian 'honor' and brought it back into the good graces of the Republic where my predecessors could not. Now it is all in ruins because of people like Almec and Vizsla... oh Obi-Wan, where are you?_ she thought to herself. She found herself missing him more and more, to the point where she wished there was some way to contact him.

But unfortunately, so long as Mandalore remained Vizsla's and she was in here, she could not call to him. She would have to wait and bide her time for when someone within might free her and help her contact him. In the meantime, perhaps she could indulge Almec's gloating of her defeat by Vizsla.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Walking along the landscape of Tund reminded Arden much of wandering Columus before the Jedi struck on the day her husband was killed. Only disappointing part of it was that she could see the illusions of the plants, the buildings, and even the ground on which she walked. And some of the people eyed her and her Vahla warriors with suspicion as though Arden had come to destroy them. "Captain, perhaps you can tell me why they view us with the sneers that they do?" Arden asked a Vahla next to her.

"According to rumor, the Sorcerers of Tund look on outsiders with naught but contempt as they believe outsiders taint the sanctity of the 'True Sith'," he said._ Only thing true about the True Sith is that they're extinct and have been for millennium_ Arden thought with disgust. But as she thought this, she also observed how some looked at her with fear and her warriors with disgust. "They fear you because they cannot see your face beneath that black hood, milady," the Captain stated.

"Unfortunate but predictable," she replied. "Milady?" he asked, confused as to how she could've anticipated this. "People have always feared what they cannot understand or describe, it is the will of the Force, after all. The stupid fear the intelligent, the weak fear the strong, and children fear adults; these people are stupid, weak, and are children compared to me," she answered.

He nodded, chuckling at the wisdom and truth of the response and asking if she was a mortal mold for the Goddess of Wisdom. "The very same rationale that has allowed me to become such a figure to you is the same that prohibits belief in deities that have no basis in reality," she stated. "What about your Chronicler that you mentioned before?" he inquired. She had forgotten that she had mentioned the Chronicler to the Vahla before and smiled.

"I actually saw him not too long before the Jedi were about to kill me. He stated that I was not yet to die in my then-present time but instead I was live into this one. Protecting me from what would have killed me, he gave me the knowledge to wield my Talisman as a means of survival," she explained. He knew better than to question whether or not it was hallucination since that vision had not gone unseen by the Jedi unlike a hallucination or even just a premonition.

Arriving at the Palace of the Sorcerers of Tund, Arden requested entrance to speak with the leaders. "Wait, your aura reeks of the death of Apollo about you! You are the killer we have been searching for! How nice of you to come before us to turn yourself in," one of the guards stated.

"I am here to do no such thing," Arden said as she grasped the throat of the men in a Force Choke. Then she ordered her Vahla to open the gates while she held the guards in the lock that would kill them the moment the gates opened. When they did, she snapped the necks of the men protecting it, deeming it more honorable for them to pay for their failures with their lives than live to tell about it.

_Besides that, they are expendable compared to their leaders who I desire to speak with more than them_ she thought to herself. Her intrusion was not met well with the rest of the sorcerers and soon, she and her Vahla found themselves fighting their way to their targets. Arden herself hardly broke a sweat when she dispatched thirteen herself but her troops weren't so fortunate. Though they all survived, none would have it easy with killing three or four, never mind as many as she did.

_I am not worried about their performance against their equals nearly as I am about their performance against the leaders. If it becomes necessary, and I am confident it will, they will be forced to face down twelve of the leaders while I handle the remainder_ she noted silently. As if the thought had been spoken, a chamber appeared before her where fourteen figures clad in the traditional robes of Tund leaders were seated a rectangular table. Her warriors gathered around her as they faced down the Council that led the Sorcerers of Tund and guided its policy.

"Why do you come here, murderer of Apollo?" one of them asked. "I seek an army in which I foresee your inclusion. Tell me, which of you call themselves the Nero brothers a.k.a. the head of this Council?" she replied. "That would be us, my name is Lear Nero and this is my brother Macbeth Nero," said a man who looked almost directly at her as he indicated another on his right.

"I assure you two that the journey I plan to take you and my Ember of Vahla on will be most worth your while. After all, we will venture past the Unknown Regions and possibly into the Great Void," she said when she saw who her targets were. "No one who has ever ventured there has returned alive, we of all people should know that!" Lear retorted as he threw the table at her. Arden did not budge and ordered her warriors not to budge as well and caught the table with telekinesis.

Then, using the very same power, she bent it in half and threw the pieces in separate directions. "What makes you so confident in your knowledge of the Unknown Regions and the Void beyond?" she asked. "We have spent much of our ancient lives acquiring knowledge of all the galaxy's regions and making sure we know where to venture and where not to," he answered. "Besides that, there is nothing worth the trouble in those areas, anyway!" Macbeth agreed.

"So you will not be joining me and the Vahla on our crusade for knowledge?" she inquired. "The hell with you and your crusade! Friends, let us unite to eliminate this filth before our eyes!" Lear snapped. "This is your last opportunity to join us freely and I assure you that we do not desire bloodshed on any level," she said sincerely.

"Quiet, we have lived for thirteen thousand years and have dealt with much worse than you and your band!" Macbeth snarled back at her. "I have lived twenty-five thousand years and I have seen better than you and your cowardly sorcerers who practice dead magic," she answered calmly. _Time to enact the final stage of my more manual recruitment of the Sorcerers: challenging them to single combat. They will not deny me seeing as it is in front of fellow Councilmen instead of alone_ she thought.

"In that case, I challenge both Lear and Macbeth Nero, one warrior to another. And only the strongest shall live to rule over the Sorcerers of Tund and the Ember of Vahla," she said aloud. Lear and Macbeth initially hesitated, knowing that their strength was being called out on in front of their comrades. But as predicted, they did not deny Arden her desire nor did they waste a moment in fulfilling it by also making the first move against her.

Lear summoned fire that shot from his staff, directly at her though she absorbed this with the hand that originally held her sheathed sword. Suspending it in telekinesis, she absorbed the fire into her body with the Force while noticing that Macbeth was readying his own attack. Instead of allowing him the chance to utilize it, she opened another portal of the Force in her other hand and reflected Lear's fire at Macbeth. This action forced Macbeth to throw up a deflective shield such as Apollo had done but Arden had not intent in burning the brothers up like him.

Instead, she planned to exhaust their magics enough to force them to resort to making swords from their staffs with their remaining energies. And since she would not be using her own power thanks to this absorption spell, she would be ready to beat them with her bladework. She sensed the rapid draining process and merely sat back, enjoying the sounds of her Vahla performing their own bladework on the other leaders of the Sorcerers, leaving her with only these two. _They have done well so far, even if they die, I must say I admire their respect for me and my husband's memory_ she thought as she continued her artificial barrage.

Soon, Lear stopped in his relentless attack, his magic being only enough to create a sword as she predicted. Macbeth's was equally low and his next move was identical to his brother's after he dissipated the shield he had used for his own protection. Arden smiled and withdrew her own sword before then using some of her power to turn the scabbard into an identical duplicate of the blade. "It is obvious, gentlemen, that I have you wearied in your knowledge of the Force," she said.

A moment's pause but they spent it readying themselves to attack her when she had done the same. "But perhaps your skills with swords might prove to be the better of me," she stated sarcastically. Then she positioned both her blades in a manner that signaled her enemies to attack her if they wished to. Lear attacked first but she spun in a manner that allowed her to use her blades to propel her across the chamber whilst spinning in circles.

This lasted seconds and Lear was to her right while Macbeth lunged from her left, their blades crossing for several brief moments. Smiling and even laughing, she broke off the crossing of their blades and spun left and right, hacked here and slashed there in manners that kept the brothers on edge. The brothers replied with some of their own hacking and slashing until it forced her to give ground to them. But this was all part of her plan to wear them out even further until she was ready to dispatch them with relative ease.

The fighting continued until they arrived to a balcony that overlooked an elevated sparring ground a couple meters below. She spun until she had enough space between herself and Macbeth to then turn her attention to Lear, once more. Slashing from the side, she saw as he jumped and backflipped to the edge of the balcony's rim. Then Macbeth surprised her by Force-Pushing her over the balcony but this surprise was not enough to cloud her judgment.

As the Captain of the Vahla called out to her, she assured him that there was nothing for him to fear. She proved it by using the Force to propel herself back onto the balcony and mocked the brothers by asking if that was the best they could do. For a couple minutes after that, they exchanged blows until Arden bent down and swung one of her blades over her head in time to meet one of Lear's strokes. She had decided to make it more interesting by reincorporating the deflection magic she had used to recruit the Vahla and watched as Lear was thrown over the balcony.

His brother, surprised and angered by that move, slapped her with the side of his hand and it sent her over the balcony's edge as well. Luckily, she was not injured by either the blow or the fall as she used the Force to slow her ascent and to regenerate from the hit. By this time, Lear was waiting for her at the sparring chamber and Macbeth had also plummeted down to join them._ For sorcerers whose specialty is magic, their bladework is not too shabby but it will not save them from my power_ she said to herself.

Turning her attention back to Lear, she barely dodged Macbeth trying to stab her from the head down and briefly pinned his sword to the ground with both of her own. When she no longer could, she kicked Lear in the chin to force him back a ways from her. Using more deflection magic, she armed both of her blades and watched as Macbeth attempted to strike her down yet again. He was repelled by the magic which sent him flying into the air and hitting the wall hard enough to almost break through it.

Arden exchanged blows with Lear until Macbeth began charging back and she charged at Lear in a manner that allowed her to jump and diagonally spin over him. She kicked him into Macbeth and watched as they initially remained side to side but spread out to divert her attention. But it was Macbeth who attacked first and she watched as he hacked from his head down before catching it with both swords. She pushed him off her and kicked him in the chest before seeing Lear jump over her and try to attack her from below her diagonally.

However, Arden saw this coming and went on the offensive with stronger slashes than before. Macbeth returned once again to try and kick her but she dodged and he ended up kicking his brother and sending him farther away from them than her magic had done. Smiling, she was glad that the brothers were finally isolated in a manner that allowed her to finish one of them off. As an added bonus, she had seen Macbeth kick Lear in the face which would undoubtedly black him out for a little bit.

Macbeth shook his head to ward off the effects of the dizziness caused by his fatigue catching up to him. Then he continued to randomly hack and slash at her randomly before crossing blades with her for one last time. After breaking the cross, she front flipped and kicked him in the chin hard enough to enhance his dizziness and turned around, readying her blades for the finishing blow. With both of their tips facing a tired Macbeth, she plunged them into his abdomen and listened as he groaned painfully.

She yanked the blades back out and let the magics clean the blood off them before she turned her attention to Lear as he came back. Carefully, she made scrutinous notes of how he took his brother's death to a personal level and even used the very last of his Force power to summon Macbeth's blade. _An interesting change of tactics but not one I have not been anticipating, this whole time_ she said silently.

The two of them then continued the duel, now that it could actually be considered a duel without the third wheel that was Macbeth. "You killed my brother, you little bitch!" Lear shouted when he also crossed blades with her. "Watch it, this bitch will kill you too," she replied with a smile. Since she was kneeling when he crossed blades, she used kneeling leg to propel her bent one into the air to kick him again.

Then she finished the duel forever more when she went on a full offensive and beat him down until they crossed blades one last time. Concluding this, she turned her blades in such a manner that it allowed her to push her blades out from her body so that she looked like a T. As a result, his own blades were sent flying from his hands and beyond his reach, the duel now lost to him. She finished him off by first bringing the blades back down and slashing him across the abdomen.

Her arms crossed in the fashion of a very tight hug but this was undone when she brought her blades back down to form an X on his body. Smiling, she watched as he gazed at her in shock, the spark of life in his eyes disappearing forever as he did so. When he fell on his back and exhaled for the last time, she knew he was dead and thus, restored the blade on her left hand into her old scabbard. Sheathing the blade on her right hand, she used the Talisman to teleport herself back onto the balcony to rendezvous with her Vahla who had long since killed the other twelve leaders.

As she managed all of this, she suddenly realized something that she might have previously overlooked whilst dueling with Xendor. During the entire fight, the hood had not once fallen back to reveal the upper half of her face to anyone. But she didn't really care for this informality seeing as the brothers would still have perished before her bladework anyway, thus securing her identity. Besides that, those who were alive today did not know who she really was or what she looked like which would have made it even more insignificant of a difference.

"Milady, we've killed off the other leaders and we have ensured that upon your imminent return, they were bowing to us. The Sorcerers of Tund are ours to command now that you have smoothly completed the transaction of powers that be," the Captain stated. "And you have done well for yourself despite the wounds on your face from whence, blood leaks," she replied. He wiped it off and asked her to make nothing off it as he would seek a medic for all of his wounds once they were on the cruiser again.

"Where do we go to now, milady?" he asked after a brief time. "We go to Malastare where I will request a shuttle to pick up my apprentice. From there, we will sit and wait until the army my ally wants us to fight comes along. Once that is finished and we are victorious, we will go into the Unknown Regions and the Great Void beyond from there," she answered.

"Sounds like a most excellent plan, excellency. I will see to it that the Sorcerers make haste in their preparations for their departure from this world," he said. "You do that and be sure to have your brothers and sisters come down to assist you as well. I will also need to speak with your chieftain in order to commend the twelve of you on your bladework," she replied.

"Thank you milady, I could not have asked for more than that," he stated with a deep bow. _Nor will you if you value your life_ she thought but didn't say. "You have done well enough for now, seek out a healer here and rest when you have called for your fellow warriors. Then do so until I command otherwise: the twelve of you have earned it as have I," she said aloud, meaning it too.

Then she had a minor sorcerer guide her into a chamber where she could rejuvenate and relax after that long duel._ It is good that I get a chance to exercise my bladework with each warrior or sorcerer race I recruit but must I do this every time?_ she asked herself. She admitted that she was most likely going to do good enough with the Vahla and the Sorcerers but still... Twice, she had tried to recruit powerful Dark Side cults diplomatically and twice, she had to fight them into submission.

It reminded her much of the Jedi Masters of the First Schism's final days, when the news of Loki the Destroyer's demise. They had all sworn an oath never to rest until Arden was brought down with the rest of her advocates and did just that. Only difference from what happened and what they had intended was that she was placed into hibernation rather than the death they wished for her._ Some fates are worse than death but I am truly beginning to wonder if this is one of them_ she asked herself.

But she decided it was best not to let herself be bother with any of that for the moment. She needed to tell her apprentice of her success in recruiting allies and that she would arrive soon. Fortunately, Depa Billaba's comlink still worked and when she was informed, she voiced her enthusiasm in her Mistress' arrival. "The counterforce has not yet arrived but I will be vigilant for signs of their possible pre-attack presence in the meantime," she added.

"Good idea and make sure to crush those signs of pre-attack presence where you see it. Remember that while mercy has its place, we cannot allow it where Yuuzhan Vong in our galaxy is concerned," Arden stated. "I will remember Mistress but I will also have to lay low in case the Jedi decide to come along Malastare. It will not be long before a good samaritan of the Republic spots me and decides to ask the Council to investigate," Depa said with a nod.

"Do what you can until I arrive, I will let you know when we are about to make the hyperspace trips so as to give you time for preparations but not too much. When I make the report, be sure to begin preparations immediately: I will have no tolerance for delays of any kind," Arden warned. "Yes Mistress, I will remember that and something else that I must tell you," Depa said. "I'm listening," Arden stated, which wasn't very far from the truth.

"While you have been busy recruiting clans of the Dark Side, I stumbled across someone I thought might be interest in joining us," her apprentice said. "And what happened?" Arden inquired suspiciously. "He refused the offer and we even had a brief scuffle though I did use your teachings to overcome him eventually," Depa explained. "And just what is his name?" Arden asked.

"His name is Quinlan Vos and by the time the duel was over, I had wounded him too badly for him to be of any use to us. I tried my best to make sure it never happened but it did anyway," Depa answered. "You did the best you could under the circumstances, do not worry too much about it. Search for others with similar abilities to him if you wish but keep a low profile as much as possible," Arden said.

"Yes Mistress, I will do that," Depa said before disconnecting the transmission._ Looks like my luck also applies to my apprentice_ she thought. But she shook her head and thought no more of it.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Maul was careful to avoid contact with the people of Mandalore since they had seen his brother and would suspect him of having ties to Savage. It would not go well to have Vizsla round up and arrest a whole bunch of criminals only for the leader of those criminals to be seeing communing with him. The combined strength of the people mobbing would easily overwhelm us in such circumstances he added to himself. When he arrived at the Sundari Palace, he was immediately greeted by Bo-Katan and a couple of her Night Owls who took him into meet with Vizsla.

"He's been expecting you, welcome to Vizsla's new home," she said. _Hmmm, he usually does not take delight in my company nor does he usually expect my arrivals. Something is wrong with this picture and I don't like it_ he thought but didn't say. Nonetheless, he thanked her and she guided him to where Vizsla was making himself at home in the Sundari throne room.

"The transition of power will be seamless, we now have the support of the people and Satine will bait Kenobi. With his demise, our deal will be complete," Vizsla said. Maul heard him mention nothing about the underworld he intended to form and knew Vizsla had forgotten again. "Your oversight requires courage and we now have a base, an army, and the means to expand to other neutral systems," Maul stated immediately.

"It wasn't an oversight, it was intentional. I have no interest in those other systems, your vision no longer matters," Vizsla replied. Then he turned his back on Maul which signaled the Night Owls to point their blasters at his head. Since there was nothing he could do, he allowed one to put cuffs on him while Bo took his lightsaber.

"Oh don't fret, I'll still honor our deal. Kenobi will be dealt with but now you'll do as I say," Vizsla said with a smile. He did this as he sat on his new throne and for a brief time, he even laughed at how easily he had trapped Maul. "Should we kill him boss?" Bo asked. "No, I have a better idea: bring him to the podium as I speak to my people," Pre answered.******  
**

Maul knew where this was going and tried to struggle out of it before a member of the Night Owls hit him in the back with the butt of her blaster. It was enough to get him moving but Vizsla and Bo went in advance to make sure the people had their attention still. "Our search is over: the last of the parasites that has infected Mandalore has been caught. The Duchess has abandoned her duty to protect Mandalore, her political intrigue only encourages aggression against our planet!

"We have learned from this beast who counterpoints the pacifist principles. It's now time to restore the traditions of Mandalore, no one will ever threaten us again!" Vizsla said, speaking passionately to the people. Enjoy your reign as their ruler while you can but I'll be back with a vengeance. I promise you that much, criminal scum Maul vowed silently as he was dragged away.

Like the Duchess before him, it wasn't long before Maul arrived at the Sundari prison and fortunately, he was parked in the same cell as his brother. But Maul didn't let Vizsla's betrayal cloud his thinking and instead, let it encourage the creation of his next plan of action. As Savage stood and waited for his brother to come up with something, Maul paced from side to side and stroked his chin in ponderance. "Vizsla has captured the support of his people just as we planned however, he is not their anointed leader yet.

"There is still time for us to put in place a leader under our control," Maul said immediately. "Then let us escape and we shall find one!" Savage demanded. "Patience, we must move cautiously. By placing us in prison, Vizsla has unwittingly put us in reach of several candidates for his successor," Maul replied as he sat down to keep thinking.

"Who do you mean brother?" Savage asked. "Vizsla has imprisoned the Duchess here, other political advisors of hers will be within these walls who will suit our purposes well," Maul answered. A Death Watch guard heard the talking and demanded that they be quiet, hitting the glass with his blaster to prove it. Maul was not fazed and told Savage that he wished a tour of the Sundari prison so as to find the candidate.

Savage knew exactly what he meant and bent down to accumulate energy for a Force repulse which destroyed the glass and sent the guard flying to his death. As they walked away from their cell and towards where they believed the Duchess to be, another guard tried to stop them. But Savage grabbed him with the Force as well and threw him into another cell, igniting his jetpack and obliterating him. After that, they remained unopposed and soon, they even found the Duchess and Maul made sure to be ready to speak to her.

"You are the now former Duchess Satine, are you not?" he asked immediately. "What do you want, you monster?" she replied just as quickly. "Hm, nothing yet but I will have a use for you in time. Where are the other leaders of your people?" Maul inquired, remembering Kenobi in his reply to her.

"You should know already, they've either sided with Vizsla or have been killed. There's no one left now but Almec and I but he's as corrupt and vile as you," Satine replied, remembering what happened to Neptune on the way here as she spoke. "Really? Hmph, thank you for being so cooperative," Maul retorted, liking the sound of this.

The brothers moved to the cell next to Satine and asked the man in there if he was Almec. He confirmed his identity and Maul decided it wouldn't harm to make him his offer. "I can deliver you from this prison, what was your position in this government?" Maul asked. "I'm the former Prime Minister, Satine imprisoned me on charges of corruption and conspiracy for using the black market," Almec answered as Maul entered his cell.

Maul thought about this briefly and had to admit that while the man's record was admirable, his mind was weak thus making him a worthy pawn. "He's a murderer, he caused the death of children!" Satine interjected. "Quiet," Savage ordered just before another Death Watch soldier shot at him. Savage replied by taking him into a Force Choke and pulling him up for Almec to see a display of their power.

"What do you want from me?" Almec asked. "Mandalore is need of a Prime Minister," Maul answered. "I thought you were in league with Vizsla," Almec observed. Savage finished off the Death Watch trooper and Maul stated that they _were_ but not anymore.

"You are powerful but how can two of you overthrow Vizsla and his supporters?" Almec inquired. "Vizsla is a soldier and like every soldier he is bound by honor: I will challenge him to single combat in front of his men. He will _not_ deny me," Maul replied. Thinking about that, Almec observed that according to Mandalorian traditions, the soldiers were honor-bound to follow Maul if he won.

"Precisely," Maul stated with a smile. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's make like hell and leave this prison before more guards stop us," Almec said. The brothers could not have agreed more as they ravaged the prison, killing Death Watch soldiers left and right until they escaped.

Almec knew there was nothing to do on his part and so he simply let the brothers do the dirty work. But before leaving his cell, he went back to the Duchess and gave her a look of pity that she took somewhat offensive. "Perhaps someday, I can see to your release so that you may live the rest of your days as a retiree of politics. Would be more honorable than letting those monsters execute you like any other might have," he said before turning his back on her once more.

Taking the transport back to Sundari Palace, Almec braced himself for one wild ride up to the throne and to Vizsla's death. Though he had been betrayed by the Duchess, he never wanted to ally himself with Death Watch openly if he could avoid it. However, as he and the brothers got closer and closer to their target, it suddenly hit him that he might not have much of a choice. If Maul won the duel, then Death Watch would bow to him and thus to Almec if the Zabrak ordered them to do so.

They arrived at the door to the throne room where a lone guard tried to communicate to Vizsla inside as he fended them off. However, Savage grasped him in a Force Choke before much got out and Maul opened the door. It was funny to see the hologram of the soldier being choked for a brief time but the brothers made nothing of it as Savage killed the man and tossed him to the stairs of the throne room. Bo and the other warriors had their blasters ready but Maul was much quick with speaking the words he needed to say to provoke Vizsla.

"I challenge you, one warrior to another, and only the strongest shall rule Mandalore!" Maul shouted as he pointed at Vizsla. This halted all of Death Watch from firing and they turned to Vizsla to see how he would answer this challenge. But Vizsla answered as expected and even ordered Bo to give Maul his saber back, which she reluctantly did. Igniting the red saber exhilirated Maul to the point of a slight growl being uttered from his throat as Vizsla ignited his darksaber and shouted, "For Mandalore!"

For several minutes, the two of them hacked, slashed, and twirled their blades as they jumped and backflipped through the air when necessary to do so. Then Maul temporarily gained an advantage when he spun around and kicked Vizsla in the face, sending him rolling towards a window. But the soldier was quick to use his jetpack to escape Maul's hack at his waist and deactivate his darksaber. However, he exchanged the blade for a pair of blaster pistols, their yellow shots distracting Maul long enough for Vizsla to clear some space and land on the ground safely.

Then he reactivated his darksaber just in time to exchange a crossing of blades with Maul that was cut short when Vizsla elbowed Maul in the eye. Maul returned the blow by headbutting him but Vizsla was quick to recover and he slashed vertically only for Maul to jump and somersault away from him. Vizsla saw another opportunity to use his pistol and did just that for a few seconds before transferring to the use of his flamethrower though Maul simply ducked right beneath the flames. Dodging the fires left Maul with no choice but to allow Vizsla to use his jetpack again and when he hovered over his chair, he threw several grenades at Maul who was forced to roll out of the way of each one.

Vizsla observed Maul becoming aggravated by this and swooped into drop one last grenade which threw Maul across the room and onto his back. As Maul recovered, Vizsla landed back on his feet, reignited his darksaber and charged at him again to also exchange more blows with their blades. Then both ran at each other and kicked one another in the gut from up on the air, Maul recovering quickly from it but Vizsla catching his breath from all this fighting. But before the Zabrak could do anything, Vizsla fired two razor-discs at him and though they didn't kill him, they did scratch his cheek just below his eye.

Vizsla chuckled, unable to help but notice the scars he had left on Maul who then gave into his rage all the more deeply. Once again, they exchanged several blades blows but this time, Maul saw to the neutralization of his jetpack advantage when Vizsla used it and Maul kicked him in the gut once more. Of course, this happened after they crossed and held blades twice and Vizsla tried to elbow Maul again though the Sith caught his elbow with a hand several times. Rolling backwards onto his feet, the Sith Lord waited to see what Vizsla would do next now that he had no jetpack to use against him.

To his delight, Vizsla dropped the useless device but surprised Maul when he used his blade to send shards of marble to his face and bind his legs with a portable cable. Maul cut this off with ease but Vizsla then used his pistol a final time to shoot Maul's lightsaber out of his hand and out of his reach. The Mandalorian charged at Maul once last time but Maul caught his blade arm and held him in a wrestling-style grip. Vizsla tried his best to get out as he landed three punches to Maul's two punches to Maul's face though Maul retaliated with one punch to the chin.

Fazed, Vizsla was helpless as Maul twisted his blade arm, put it over his shoulder and then pulled down to bend it until bones cracked. The darksaber fell from Vizsla's hand and Maul threw him over his back hard enough to send him rolling a few centimeters away. Vizsla tried to crawl away to get some support and his men looked on as they saw weakness in their leader that they had never seen before. Maul, consumed by his anger, kicked Vizsla in the gut and his back landed on the stairs leading to the seat of Mandalore.

When Vizsla finally got up to his feet, Maul continued with his punishing barrage by kicking Vizsla square in the eye. Finally, he elbowed him in the back of the head which saw Vizsla kneel down only to attempt to rise again as Maul kneed him in the chin and pushed his face with his foot. At this point, there was nothing Vizsla could do to keep fighting and sat on all fours as Maul recovered his darksaber, igniting its black blade once again. "Like you said, only the strongest shall rule," Vizsla said as Maul took the blade and raised it above Vizsla's neck.

Bo watched, unbelieving of what she was seeing before her very eyes. Not too long ago, she had been making love to Vizsla and had even told him of the child she bore in her womb now._ This isn't happening, my baby is going to be fatherless!_ she screamed internally. Then her fears were confirmed as Maul decapitated the father of her unborn child with his own darksaber.

Vizsla's body rolled until it came to a chair on the left of the stairs and his head rolled until it was out of sight. Bo watched with horror as Maul claimed the sword and his place as leader of Death Watch. At that moment, she beheld with horror as the Death Watch soldiers bowed before Maul as they had once done with Vizsla. Savage was pleased with the success of his brother as was Almec, their future puppet for rule of Mandalore.

However, whether it was because of the child she bore in her womb or because of her love for Vizsla, she could not obey Maul. "Never! No outsider shall ever rule Mandalore!" she screamed, determined to avenge her child's bastardization at the hands of Maul. Maul noticed this and he also observed as Bo and her soldiers immediately began backing away so that they could escape with ease.

"Hmm, if you will not join me, you will all die," Maul warned. "You're all traitors!" she shouted back at the Death Watch soldiers. "Unfortunately for you, history will not see it that way. Execute them!" Maul ordered.

Bo quickly put on her helmet and shot one of the Death Watch soldiers as she and her men fled the throne room. Using their jetpacks to escape, they kept firing as Bo threw a grenade at the remaining soldiers in the throne room though she had hoped to take Maul as well. When they were on their feet, she threw another to throw Death Watch off her men as they retreated through a hallway that had been previously unnoticed. She used one more when they reached a point where they could escape from the Palace via an open balcony at which point, they ignited their jetpacks to fly away from the Palace.

One of her soldiers took the liberty of throwing the fourth grenade which dispersed their enemies long enough for her and the man to escape with ease. At that point, there was only one thing to do and that was to flee from the Palace and as far away as she possibly could from it all. Away from the sight of the man who bastardized her child, away from Almec, away from everything. When the remaining Death Watch asked if they were to give pursuit Maul ordered that the Night Owls escape.

"We will deal with them later but for now, there is a certain Prime Minister we must place before the people of Mandalore," Maul added. Almec smiled and decided it was time to go out and speak to the people that Maul and Savage would both rule through him. "People silence, please silence! Hear me now, Duchess Satine the so-called pacifist who could not protect you when your lives were at stake has murdered Pre Vizsla the true hero of Mandalore!" Almec began calmly, concocting a lie immediately.

When the people booed at her, he assured them that Satine was now under arrest which was true. "And it was Pre Vizsla's last command that I be reinstated as Prime Minister of Mandalore! I know my past is checkered but I promise you I take full responsibility for my people. My heart now grieves with your pain, however, from this point on Mandalore will be strong and we will be known as the warriors we were meant to be!" he added, concluding his speech to the people.

Their applause followed this and with much enthusiasm, Almec went back to Maul and Savage to report what the people's responses were. "You have done well, Prime Minister," Maul said before he could speak. "I shall waste no time in building my administration," Almec said with a bow. "Choose wisely, I will hold you personally responsible for their failures," Maul warned.

"Yes, Master. Uh, is there anything more you require?" Almec asked. Of course, he had taken a moment to let the weight of Maul's words sink in and this was his natural response. "Go and rule my people," Maul ordered.

Almec bowed and went to do just that as Maul decided to take the time to think for a moment. "Is there anything you require of us as well, sir?" a Mando soldier asked him. "Yes, there is one thing: I will need you all to abandon your blue stripings and paint your amor red. And since _you_ are the first to ask, I will also reward you the honor of putting horns like mine on your helmet as well," Maul answered.

"With all due respect sir, the people will remember how you were red and black. They will be suspicious that you might have infiltrated us and taken control," the warrior said. "You are only abandoning the blue stripes, you are abandoning no other colors in your armor," Maul replied. "I see milord, well men, you heard him!" the Mandalorian said before leaving.

At this point, Maul and Savage were alone for the first time since they launched the attack on Mandalore. "Do we kill Kenobi when he arrives, brother?" Savage asked. "No, we will see what we can do about keeping him and the Duchess alive despite any attempt to escape. Then we execute the Duchess before Kenobi's eyes, he will be helpless and grief-stricken to see it happen," Maul answered.

"But wouldn't it be easier just to kill them both?" Savage insisted. It would be easier but not nearly as much fun Maul thought. "There are fates worse than death, my exile in Lotho Minor could be considered one of them. And Kenobi will consider being allowed to live after seeing the Duchess killed to be one of them as well," he said aloud.

"In the meantime, what are we to do about the rebel Mandalorians?" Savage inquired. "Let them float out and about, killing some of our soldiers here and there. They may yet prove useful despite their attempts to hinder our goals. Besides that, the Duchess will need to contact the Republic in order for luring Kenobi out to be successful," Maul explained.

"So you're saying we let her go only to bring her back in again?" Savage asked, raising an eyebrow at his brother in suspicion. "Yes and it may sound quite burdensome but it's worked before on Jedi. It'll work again with Kenobi when it happens, be certain of that," Maul answered._ It would be just easier to kill Kenobi than to grant him such a horrendous fate as that_ Savage thought but didn't say.

And he of all people should know: when he was first transformed into his present form by Mother Talzin, he was ordered to kill his younger brother Feral by Asajj Ventress. But he didn't let the pity and remorse of it show to his face, there was no way Maul would allow for it. In the meantime, he decided to go and take in the sights of Mandalore in secret to the best of his ability. He wasn't going to be confined to just this palace without getting a good view of what he and his brother were going to be ruling together.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Though Maul was probably counting on her to do so, there was only one thing that Bo-Katan could do now that she was his enemy. She had to go to Sundari Prison and rescue Duchess Satine from her current holding cell. But she would need help in doing this, she would need to reacquire the subjects of Satine Kryze and... her nephew Korkie._ I haven't seen that kid since his mother died giving birth to him and Satine took custody of him; I wonder how my nephew's been since then_ she thought to herself.

Then it reminded her of part of the reason that she left Mandalore to form the Night Owls and join with Vizsla's Death Watch. Nothing could have been done to save Korkie's mother as she lay dying and of the two remaining sisters, the dead woman had picked Satine to care for her son. Bo knew that the son of her eldest sister would become a pacifist softie under the care of Satine and thus, would never uphold traditional Mandalorian ideals of manhood. But as she saw him now, she was beginning to wonder if perhaps in this case, she was being a little too harsh on the boy.

After all, regardless of the circumstances that had gotten him to this point, he did turn out to be nice and strong. Bo wasted no time in teaching him a few tricks with blaster pistols nor did he waste any time absorbing the knowledge._ Perhaps he would have made for a great warrior in another life but then who knows?_ Bo asked herself as she watched him. Quickly, she and Korkie came up with a plan that was somewhat crude but would prove effective if carried out perfectly.

When they arrived at Sundari Prison, Bo was quick to kill two of the three guards that were there before her men surrounded the third. As he surrendered, Korkie turned him around and had him lead him to where the Duchess was currently being held. The guard complied and when the door opened, he heard her ask what the guard wanted and calling him a traitor. That was when Korkie revealed himself by shooting the guard and saying he would never betray his aunt.

"We're here to rescue you," he said. Satine immediately responded by jumping up and hugging him. Another Death Watch guard ordered them to stop but he was shot down by Bo, who revealed herself when Satine thought her to be Death Watch also. "Oh, it's you," the Duchess said, disappointment somewhat present in her tone. "It's okay auntie, she's on our side now," Korkie told her.

"Why are you helping now?" Satine asked. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Bo answered. "There was a time when we weren't enemies, perhaps that time has come again," Satine stated before they moved on. Maybe so but frankly, I don't think many of us are going to be living long enough to find out Bo thought but didn't say.

Outside, the Night Owls had managed to keep the exit clear for their escapee and signaled as much to Bo. One of Satine's former subjects even said as much and Bo gestured for them to get to the speeder. "We need to contact the Jedi Council! Korkie, give me your comlink," Satine stated.

Korkie complied but warned her that it wouldn't be any good unless they got out of the city. Besides that, all the frequencies had already been jammed as per the orders of Lord Maul. "You're all taking a terrible risk by helping me," Satine warned with a heavy sigh. "Nothing we haven't done before. Right auntie?" Korkie retorted with a smile.

Bo ordered them to get going as a speeder came into transport them and Korkie boarded with the Duchess. At first, when they took off, they encountered no resistance toward the outside of the city. But this didn't last long as a Death Watch soldier watching from towers of the city signaled a silent alarm to his men while going on the attack with two others that were with him. When the bolts started flying from the enemy, Bo immediately noticed and ordered the men with her to take out the enemy.

The two of them flew into action and dealt with two of the three Death Watch soldiers while a third still remained. Bo dealt with this one when she used a harness to hold him off. She ordered Korkie to get the Duchess clear as she launched herself off the speeder. Then she swung the soldier over her head and right into the wall of a building, knocking him and his jetpack out. And the moment they thought they were clear, six more soldiers sprung from the shadows to oppose their arrival.******  
**

In addition, one of them managed to knock out one of the engines to the Duchess' speeder despite an eventual safe landing near the shipping docks. Bo and her men held off the soldiers while the Duchess went to look for a spot where there was no jam on the signal. Korkie helped her as he shot the men who came to stop her and when she finally found a spot, she knew what to do immediately. "This is a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi: I've lost Mandalore, my people have been massacred," she began.

Then she heard a smacking sound and turned to see that Korkie had been knocked out cold by a Death Watch soldier with horns on the brow of his helmet. And as the commando turned to her, she stated directly to Obi-Wan that she needed his help after mentioning Almec being reinstated. Then she cut the transmission and surrendered to the commando as well as the men who soon accompanied him. By this time, Bo-Katan and her men had already withdrawn their fighting, likely knowing that now was not the time to beat back Death Watch.

**Yoda and Ki-Adi Mundi** were glad to see that Obi-Wan was quick to arrive when he was summoned. They were also glad to see that he had asked about the summoning they had requested of him earlier. Grimly, Ki-Adi played the transmission that had just come in from Mandalore where Satine explained her loss of power, that Almec had been reinstated, and that he had the support of crime families. Then she ended the transmission by saying that she needed his help and just in time for three Death Watch soldiers to walk into the recording and take her hostage.

"Your thoughts on this, Master Kenobi?" Yoda asked. "Satine has been at odds with the Death Watch for years. And according to Padawan Tano's final report, they are no longer in league with the Separatists. If there was a takeover on Mandalore, it was most likely an independent act caused by the Death Watch alone," Obi-Wan answered.

"Without involvement from the Separatists, this is an internal affair for the Mandalorians. I'm afraid that we cannot help," Ki-Adi stated. "We cannot just hand Mandalore over to these crime families and let Satine become a martyr!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. "I'm afraid her decision to keep Mandalore neutral makes this situation difficult," Ki-Adi replied calmly.

"Understand your feelings I do, Obi-Wan. But to take action, support from the Republic Senate we will need," Yoda said. I don't really think you do understand how I feel, Master Yoda Obi-Wan thought. Aloud though, he said, "You know what the Senate will decide: they will not send aid to a neutral system."

"At this time, nothing more can we do," Yoda said, ending the conversation. As he proceeded to exit out, Ki-Adi almost followed but turned back to talk briefly with Obi-Wan. "This is a personal matter for you more than any of us but do not let your feelings cloud your judgment," he said before leaving with Yoda. It gave Kenobi food for thought as he was left alone in the chamber but he knew what his decision would be before the end of this ponderance: he would go to Mandalore alone.

**"Satine's accomplices have escaped, **including the renegade Death Watch soldiers but we will find them. The Duchess appears to have contacted the Jedi just as anticipated," Almec said, the horned member of Death Watch beside him. Maul was deep in thought as Almec spoke but when he heard about the contact, he awoke from it with a smile. "Good, you have done well," he stated aloud.

"What of the people?" Almec asked bluntly. "You are the legitimate Prime Minister, Mandalore is a sovereign planet, and you will maintain its neutrality," Maul answered. "And what of the Jedi?" Almec inquired to be immediately greeted by a growl from Savage. "Because of Mandalore's neutrality, the Jedi have no jurisdiction here and if Kenobi comes to rescue his friend, he will have to come alone," Maul replied with a smile.

"So you're saying we keep Satine alive until he comes to rescue her? By then, it could be too late to execute her," Almec demanded. "You ask too many questions, little man. I should crush you right now," Savage snarled.

"Hold on that thought until he fails brother, in the meantime, I do not mind answering his questions. Your fears are legitimate, Almec but they are also unneeded as my brother has indicated," Maul said. "Then one last question, my fears of the Jedi notwithstanding from everything else, of course. If the Jedi have no jurisdiction over the course of neutral systems, does that mean we could expand into the two thousand others that are allied with Mandalore?" Almec asked.

_ Unlike Vizsla, Almec has vision... I must say my choice in choosing him has not entirely been in vain. Nor for that matter, has been his choice in administrators_ Maul thought. "You have learned from Vizsla's oversights. Yes, we will be expanding into those others systems and under your protection, my brother and I shall form a new galactic underworld," he said aloud.

"Quite a vision, milord and sure to attract the criminal families of Coruscant with whom your Pyke allies have connections," Almec observed. "Yes Prime Minister, we will be exploiting those connections to form our empire until we have the means for galactic conquest. At that point, we will no longer need your protection but you will keep your position on Mandalore so as to give us a regional representative," Maul said.

_ My brother plans so big, it's no wonder the Jedi wanted him dead all those years ago. And it's no wonder he has had to shelter us up until this point after Florumm_ Savage thought. "I require no more of your, Prime Minister. Continue about your business of ruling my people while I include more for you to publicly rule," Maul ordered with enthusiasm.

Almec bowed and left the brothers alone again at which point, Maul decided it was time to meditate again. Perhaps it would serve its purpose of refreshing his mind as well as his brother's but then perhaps not. Either way, he and Savage went into their trance and took their minds off the politics of Mandalore. It would be the last time that they would truly be able to enjoy it before they attracted the attention of Kenobi and... someone else.

**When Arden arrived at **Malastare, she had to admit it was much more beautiful to behold from space than Tund had been. She was even more impressed with how it looked on the surface, proving to be the most impressed out this planet, Glee Anselm, and Tund. Since the latter was at the bottom already, Arden decided it would be best to fit Glee right in the middle._ Indeed, the Yuuzhan Vong have picked a most beautiful spot to begin their counterattack against Thrawn's forces; did they deliberately do this?_ Arden asked herself jokingly.

Three days ago, she had forcibly recruited the Sorcerers of Tund by means of killing their leaders and added them to the armada that also included the Ember of Vahla. Now, Arden decided it was time she went alone to the surface of Malastare to meet her apprentice. The spot that Depa had chosen, however, was a strange one as far as Arden could tell: a "Podrace" track. But there was one problem: getting there unseen by Republic clones and Separatist agents like Quinlan Vos.

Luckily, she managed to escape the clones via allies and secret tunnels that Depa had highlighted in her outline of the Pixelito, the capital of Malastare and the home of its Podraces. However, she sensed she was being followed whether by Vos or someone else, she could not tell though she had a feeling the Talisman already knew. Taking it out in a dark alley, she saw as it glowed with the decreasing distance between herself and her hunter. _Perhaps _this_ will throw our hunter off our scent; neutralize what he uses to hide against us_ Arden said to the Talisman.

Holding it up in the air, she watched as the Talisman's light turned into deadly blades that sought out their target and even managed to unwrap a man from the darkness. He had long dreadlocks that curved out from his head and down to his shoulder blades, a single yellow mark went across his face, and a lightsaber hung from his belt. "You are the warrior Quinlan Vos who has been giving trouble to my apprentice, I presume?" Arden asked. "I'm a Kiffar, I'm supposed to track down people who give off interesting auras such as your apprentice and even you, quite frankly," the man answered.

As Arden turned to face him, she saw what he looked like and was baffled that he would call himself anything short of a human. "You just look like a human with stupid-looking hair to me," she said, speaking her thought aloud. "Watch it, my people find my hair handsome and traditional of their culture!" he growled under his breath. "I pity your people if their culture is so degraded that they judge a man by the stupidity of his hairdo," Arden replied.

_ Yes, keep mocking his heritage and blind him with anger. He will be easier to subdue and defeat that way_ she observed silently. "What do you know of culture, stupid bitch!?" he shouted as he unclipped his lightsaber and almost activated the blade. "I'm twenty-five thousand years old, your knowledge of culture is microscopic compared to mine, ignoramus little boy," she replied calmly.

_ The wheels in his head turn with anger, his people are insulted and soon, he will have no choice but to avenge them in order to restore his own honor and pride. For a Jedi, he is certainly touchier than I remember the Elders being in my day_ Arden thought, smirking as she did so. "I thought Jedi were not supposed to give into anger," she said, keeping up her mocking. "Unlike those fools, I am what's called a Dark Jedi: we're given a little more freedom to form our own code," he answered.

"Ah, now that's something my apprentice and I have in common. Perhaps you could join us on our little mission, one that will save the galaxy more than your work here," she stated. "I've heard enough about this mission and I've heard enough of you! Draw your weapon and fight me now!" he demanded.

"Do I really have to?" she asked. She knew he would be too weak to defeat her and wanted to spare him if she could. "No rules, no mercy! Should be right up your alley, now shut up and fight!" he insisted.

_ Such a young and naive individual, no matter. I will edit that error in him soon enough_ she told herself. "Hmm, very well, I had intended on letting you live to see another day but now I have no choice," she said aloud. She withdrew her blade and as she did so, she conjured a blade of energy that flew at him, forcing him from his place in a balcony above her. When he was down to her level, he tried again to attack but she kept him at bay with more energy blades and some Force pushes.

"You still intend to let me live? It won't work now!" Vos said after a while. "No, I'm just wearing you down for my next parlor trick," Arden answered as she unsheathed her blade. Then she turned the scabbard into an identical duplicate of her weapon, even facing the same direction as it.

Vos scoffed at it and made nothing of it until Arden showed him that now he would have instead of one energy blade at a time, he now had two at a time. This was worsened when Arden magnetized the pommels together and spun the double-sided sword in a manner that allowed for energy blades to fly away seconds after each other. Finally, one of them managed to graze his arm and since it was much like having acid graze him, he held his arm in pain as it burned into his bloodstream and bones. Another blade came across his thigh, forcing him to drop his lightsaber in favor of healing his injuries, never giving him a chance to use his own blade skills.

Arden shook her head in pity for his lack of technique and sloppy attempts to dodge her magic or even deflect it. However, he surprised her when he rose back up and attacked her with the full force of Vaapad._ Finally, a true challenge to test my mastery of Soresu_ she thought but didn't say. Though she managed to fend off most of his attacks with ease due to the clouding effects of his anger, there were a couple that strained her.

Nonetheless, she passed her test when she formed an X with her blades in defense and pushed against Vos' lightsaber. As a result, it slipped out of his hand and was sent flying away, rendering him helpless as she kicked him down and then threw him from wall to wall with telekinesis. When she threw him back down onto the floor, she restored her scabbard back to its original form and sheathed her blade. He saw this and asked if she was going to be merciful to him as she had proven her point and won the fight.

"As you yourself said: there is _no_ mercy," she said. Before he replied, she struck him down further with green bolts of electricity from the fingers of her right hand. "Do not fear, I am not going to kill you: you are not meant to die here. However, I am going to leave you with something by which to remember me," she added after a while before continuing to electrocute him.

_ Arden, if you keep this up much longer or upgrade the power to a great intensity, you may knock him into a coma for at least a week_ the Talisman's voice stated._ Precisely the point, now shut up and let me work my magic on him_ she replied telepathically. The Talisman obeyed and Arden managed to complete her work on Vos by increasing the intensity until he was unconscious. However, since she was trying her best not to waste time, she did so in a way that knocked him out in a matter of minutes.

Now that her work was complete and he was in a place where no one was likely to find him during that entire week, she left him there. _He's young, he'll live to find his way back to where he came from_ she told herself. This helped lessen the pity she already felt for him whether it was of the sympathetic kind or not, she couldn't tell. Like her, he skidded across the border of Light and Dark and fallen into the latter more than once.

That much she could tell from both his fighting style and the present aura of Light Side energy that he gave off. It was one more reminder of Xendor that returned her to the days of when she first met him. Though Xendor had a buzzcut, which Arden thought more handsome than dreadlocks, that was one of only two differences between him and this Kiffar as Vos called himself. She arrived at the Podrace track not too long after that and was immediately impressed at the sight of the vehicles.

_ So these are Podracers eh? No wonder why people like these so much_ she said as she observed their speed and a crash one of them took. Her apprentice was waiting for immediately outside the entrance to the stadium and at once, she teased her mistress about taking too long. "I was delayed by your Kiffar fool in the alleys but no worries; he will not oppose us again unless he no longer values his life," Arden replied in affirmation.

"So he tried to fight you too after failing to beat me, huh? How amusing but what did you do?" Depa asked. "I electrocuted him until he was put into a week-long coma by the trauma, luckily no one will be expecting to find him in the spot I left him at," Arden answered. "You always have a plan to do good, Mistress; it's a wonder the Jedi were ever opposed you," Depa said. "Do not worry about that. For now, let's enjoy a Podrace, shall we?" Arden asked curiously and Depa nodded agreeably.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Taking the_ Twilight_ to Mandalore, Obi-Wan had to wonder how Anakin got anything done it, never mind rescue Jabba the Hutt's son with it. When he landed, it sputtered and clanked out parts like hell, forcing Obi-Wan to make a note never to borrow a ship from Anakin again. As if in reply to him, one of the control panels blew up in his face but it didn't damage him. Using his Rako Hardeen disguise, he tried his best to get off the ship but the hatch was stuck and he had to crawl out.

"Need to get your ship looked at?" a Death Watch soldier asked. _Oh crap, what do I do? Do I tell him the truth or do I make up something?_ Obi-Wan asked himself quietly. Then he went with being honest and told the guard it was his friend's ship as he tried to pull down the hatch.

Luckily, his weight pushed it down when he leaned on it and he admitted that Anakin had told him it was just fine. "I'm terribly sorry about that," he added. "Do you have a landing permit?" the soldier asked. "Oh, I think I left it on the ship but come with me and I'll get it," he answered.

Luckily, the soldier complied and when both men were out of sight, Obi-Wan punched him in the face once before hitting him in the gut with his knee and hammering his back. The three blows knocked the soldier out cold and no one seemed to notice even with how loud the sounds of contact were. He stole the Mando's armor and switched his own with it so as to give people the impression that the would-be bounty hunter had tried to assault a Mandalorian warrior and failed rather miserably. And as he put on the helmet, he noticed that no one seemed to care but that was likely because they had never seen these soldiers without their helmets yet.

Whether it was for the better or not though, he was unaware he was being watched by someone who did know him. From the rooftops leading into the shipping docks, Bo-Katan was hiding and waiting. Now that the Jedi had come, perhaps a better exercise of the phrase "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" could come into better play than before. But she would continue to watch and wait for an opportunity of that sort to arise if it ever would arise from Kenobi's inevitable reunion with Maul.

**Duchess Satine couldn't believe **all that had happened, how Death Watch had been so prepared for an escape attempt from her. Was Almec so intelligent that he could calculate every single move that anyone ever made against him? Or was he just guessing and having an incredibly good streak of luck? What if he was not the intelligence of the operation and was just a mere puppet to the two Zabraks she had seen rescuing him?

That would make more sense as the red one had smiled when she mentioned Almec's corruption._ Did they _want_ someone they could control easily and assume Almec was such a man for them?_ she asked herself. It was a brilliant stroke of genius if that was the case and the usurpation of power from Vizsla had been smooth and without slowness of pace. Plus, it would be logical to reinstate someone who no longer had associations with her if any at all on their part.

Not only was Almec obedient and easy to play ventriloquist with but he was also blinded by his own perspective of good and evil. Admittedly, she had some part in shaping that perspective but for the most part, Almec had brought his troubles upon himself. This was especially true when he tried to get a false confession of corruption out of her to clear his name from the black market sales. But now, the corrupt were in power and the righteous were either imprisoned or killed.

What was there that Satine could do defy such overwhelming power as the Zabrak brothers and Almec had together? Who could defy them if not Obi-Wan, for that matter? The Republic had no jurisdiction here due to Mandalore's neutrality so she couldn't count on the Order. That is, unless Obi-Wan died which would warrant retaliation from the Republic anyway.

Then there were the Separatists: would they see this as an opportunity to take Mandalore for themselves as they had been vying to do since Vizsla and Dooku struck their deal? It was all too confusing and Satine didn't want to think about it all too much. She just wanted to hope that Obi-Wan would come and save the day for her and for all Mandalore as was meant to be. After all, now that Korkie had been executed by Maul's orders, Kenobi and Bo-Katan were all she had left now.

**"Master, according to reports **that are just coming in now, there was a bounty hunter who landed in a deteriorating ship that attempted to attack one of our men. When the man put in the report, he seemed fine which probably meant that the hunter wasn't much of a fighter," Almec stated. "You were there when he put in this report? And if not, do you have a recording that we can see?" Savage asked.

_ Hmm, my apprentice surprised me with that question. He's learning more faster than I had expected_ Maul thought but didn't say. "Yes, bring us the footage if you can otherwise, ask the man taking in the report what happened. I will also want any and all witnesses that were present to come forth as well if footage is unavailable," he said aloud.

"With all due respect Master, is that really necessary?" Almec asked. Maul snapped at that point, for once agreeing with Savage's sentiment about his questions, and backhanded Almec in the face. "You _fool_, for all you know, you could've been had by a Jedi Mind Trick and Kenobi has arrived at the Prison already!" he shouted. Almec rubbed his jaw and apologized, saying that he would get the footage immediately.

This was when the horned Death Watch supercommando stepped in and offered something that confirmed Maul's suspicions. "I've already seen the footage, milord. And forgive me if this is a further dent in your mood but I did see that man subtly wave his hand rather oddly. Is that the sign of a Jedi Mind Trick?" he asked.

_ Son of a_ bitch_, I knew it!_ Maul shouted in his head. Outwardly, he kept his calm though he would have snapped again under other circumstances. "Did the trooper taking the report repeat whatever the reporting soldier said when he waved his hand?" Maul asked though he knew the answer already. "Why yes, that did come across my eye as a little unique," the commando answered.

"Then the recording trooper has outlived his usefulness and frankly, our Prime Minister is not much better right now," Maul said. "So we kill Almec for his failure?" Savage asked. "Not yet but if this happens again, you will have my approval to gut him yourself," Maul answered to his brother's zeal. "Forgive me lords, it will not happen again," Almec bowed.

"If you value your life, it had better not," Maul warned. Almec went to deliver the news to the trooper and the commando asked what to do next. "Get me and my brother a speeder, we're going to pay a visit to the shipping docks," Maul ordered. Savage almost asked why they were doing that but then he recalled that they would need to cut off Obi-Wan's means of escape and stopped himself.

"Yes sir and if you don't mind me asking, I would like to keep an eye on our Prime Minister. If he falls out of line while you're away, I'll end his pitiful life myself," the commando said. "Good, good, yes keep an eye on Almec while we're away and do that if he does," Maul replied with a nod. Almec gulped as he bowed, thanked Maul for his time, and made his way to continue his business alone.

**For a few brief** seconds, Obi-Wan couldn't help but gaze at the beautiful form of Satine Kryze. How he could have beared to let her go in his youth, he didn't know as he couldn't think of anything like this happening to her now. But then he put the thoughts aside, deciding to save them for after he had rescued her and escaped Mandalore rather than let them distract him now. He opened the door and she immediately asked if he was here to do "more of his Master's bidding".

"I do my own bidding," he replied after taking off the helmet. Recognizing and acknowledging him, Satine jumped up and lunged at him forcibly enough to nearly knock him off his feet. When she let go of her tight hug, she asked if he was alone to which he admitted that he was. "The Jedi and the Galactic Senate won't be of any help to us here," he added. "I trust you have an escape plan then?" she asked.

"As always, my dear," he answered. And it was just in time for him to both put his helmet back on and be greeted by another Death Watch soldier. Playing the good samaritan ally, Obi-Wan forcibly pushed Satine along though it wasn't something he liked doing. The elevator door closed and they descended toward the entrance of the prison just as Kenobi had planned.

At first, the other trooper paid them no heed but then he stated that there was no record of a prisoner transfer at the facility. "The orders came from upstairs," Obi-Wan said in reply. As the trooper nodded and paused to think for a moment, Obi-Wan was surprised by what he asked next. "What's the authorization code?" he asked.

Obi-Wan hadn't thought of an authorization code nor did he think that Death Watch relied on them. _Must be a new development unless our intelligence on Death Watch has been wrong to begin with as it often is with other things_ Obi-Wan thought inside. On the outside however, he punched the trooper quicker than he could act and hard enough to knock him cold. "Not exactly intuitive or creative but I guess that was effective enough," Satine said before they continued.

Unfortunately, another trooper saw them hurrying away and called for help as he sounded the alarm. _So much for getting out of here without a scratch_ Obi-Wan thought but didn't say._ Here we go again_ Satine thought, unknowing that she and Obi-Wan were on a similar trend of thought. Nonetheless, she ducked whenever bolts came close to her and Kenobi did his best to fight back without using his lightsaber which would give away his identity immediately.

It was amazing to see that they actually did make it back to the shipping docks in one piece and Obi-Wan amazed himself by scoring a deadeye shot against one of his enemies with a blaster. When they arrived boarded the _Twilight_, Satine immediately suggested contacting her sister. "She'll send us reinforcements!" she added. "Who's your sister?" Obi-Wan asked after forcing the ship's turrets to activate.

Then they attempted to take off and getting off the launchpad was the only part of it that went smooth. Three jetpack missiles from Death Watch destroyed the main engine of the ship and Obi-Wan knew it was better not to stick around. By this time though, getting outside meant risking the possibility of missing the launchpad and plummeting miles to one's death. Obi-Wan had the jetpack to his advantage but Satine, having not also been outfitted with armor, didn't have that advantage.

So when she tried to escape with him only to be nearly jettisoned out of the ship, he grabbed her arm as quickly as he could. Then he timed their landing carefully so that they could get on the launchpad despite the ship exploding. When he knew he couldn't miss, he let go of the railing and landed safely just as the ship exploded behind him. Unfortunately, this also knocked Satine unconscious and dazed Kenobi beyond quick cognitive reaction.

Though his vision was blurred and there was a veil of smoke rising in front of and above his sight, he could see at least four or five Death Watch soldiers perfectly. What had him most confused was when they parted way for someone else and at first, he thought it was another soldier. But a harder look immediately told him that he was looking at Darth Maul and Savage, the former dressed in robes. He was also given new legs which restored him to the height Obi-Wan remembered him being on Naboo when they first dueled.******  
**

And though he knew Maul had survived from Anakin's Pyke-mission report, he couldn't believe he would be on Mandalore of all places. He even voiced as much as he withdrew and ignited his lightsaber to face down his old foe. But Maul, unafraid and unfazed by the crash, simply grasped Kenobi in Force Choke and pulled him into his hands with Telekinesis. "We meet again Kenobi, welcome to my world," Maul mocked as he forced Obi-Wan's lightsaber out of his hand.

Before falling into a temporary trance, Obi-Wan saw Savage pick up Satine and lump her over his shoulder like a cold bag of meat. Then Maul threw the Jedi right into the arms of two soldiers and ordered that Kenobi and Satine be taken back to the Palace. The tone that Maul used to speak these orders was one filled with excitement and Obi-Wan knew that whatever he had planned was not good. Nothing about Maul's plans had ever been good since his return from exile in Lotho Minor and his feat on Raydonia.

******Sensing a disturbance in **the Force through the Dark Side was like an ache in the chest after a training session that never quite went away for Lord Sidious. Even the solace of meditation was not enough to comfort him from these familiar pains or purify him of them for that matter. And though he went to great lengths to make sure it didn't show in his present mannerisms... It was still difficult to believe that this was happening because of his fallen apprentice, Darth Maul of all people.******  
**

It was bad enough to hear the news of Maul's survival from Kenobi. Now it was even worse for Lord Sidious to hear that his fallen servant had rallied his own faction to use in the Clone Wars. Worse still, this faction he built threatened to undermine his plans for the entire galaxy with their existence. He knew his current servant Dooku would be no match for the brothers but he hated the idea of going to Mandalore himself.

If Maul had revealed his dual life, he would've jeopardized his own plans by leaving. This was something he couldn't afford when he was so close to his goal. In the end, Sidious confessed that his hand had been forced and his plan depended on him alone for success. Lord Plagueis had taught him long ago that a true Sith Lord should avoid getting his own hands dirty when possible. "Murderous as we are, it is better to murder with aim than to randomly and wantonly cause destruction," he had stated.

_To think that I would still rely on some of my old Master's advice when I killed him would have been an impossibility. Interesting to look back on that day and realize that it was on that same day that I had thought_ Maul dead as well he thought. As his alter ego of Chancellor Palpatine, Sidious had summoned his right-hand man Mas Amedda to his office at his earliest convenience. He knew it would be a little bit before Mas could show up so he debated what to do further.

Would he immediately kill off the brothers or would he take Maul hostage for his own design and get rid of Dooku's failed apprentice? He had heard that the Nightsister Mother Talzin was the one who brought Savage to Dooku and the one who originally programmed him. If that was the case, then perhaps Savage would be useful in tracking down his old nemesis and killing her. He knew Dooku and Grievous had not succeeded in destroying Mother Talzin, even he couldn't have killed her.

Besides that, she was too smart and too old for anything short of a miracle in the will of the Force to stop her. But having a man grafted from her magics could be useful in luring her to him so that he can fight and kill her on his own terms rather than let her dictate the rules like before. Had that been Thrawn's trend of thought when he contacted Sidious about the Zabrak brothers? And if so, had he already seen to that when he contacted him again after so many years without anything?

_Thrawn is a crafty little man which probably compensates for his absence of a connection in the Force. I wonder how things might have been if he were the Sith Lord of the two of us instead of me. He probably would have been able to take the galaxy and the Unknown Regions in half the time it's taking me to take just the Known Space_ he thought to himself. Amongst the many administrators he knew in any government, Thrawn had to be the most intelligent.

But something that made the good Admiral even more deadly even when compared to his own people was that he was also more humble about his gifts than just about any other government officers. It boosted his cunning all the more for him to be able to understate his abilities, fool anyone watching into thinking that was the extent of it, then surprise them by doing at least twice as good. _But virtues can be flaws if inappropriately used such as the Jedi have demonstrated recently_ he observed. Nonetheless, this didn't stop his decision from being made on the matter and when Mas Amedda came in, he knew what he would do: he would kill both the brothers as Thrawn might've wanted.

After all, the Chiss would not have gone to the trouble of delivering the brothers into Sidious' hands just for one of them to live while the other died. It wouldn't have made sense especially if they jeopardized some of his more secretive plans for the galaxy with their existence. This revealed another thing about Thrawn that most might not have noticed: he never overestimated his abilities. He might underestimate them publicly but Sidious doubt he did that either, making him proud to know Thrawn.

"You summoned me, Chancellor?" Amedda asked. This was, of course, merely a formality to say that he acknowledged Sidious' call. However, Sidious himself hardly had a use for these sorts of things and went straight to the point immediately. "There is a disturbance in the Force, prepare my ship," he answered.

Mas bowed and went to obey his orders but not before he asked one question Sidious never guessed would be asked. "Where will the shuttle be going, sir?" was the question. "Have it predestined for Mandalore and set on an autopilot course. Also take care to have it plot a course back here once I am ready to depart Mandalore as well," Sidious answered.

Amedda didn't question Sidious' reasoning on this, he already knew why the disguised Dark Lord wanted it this way. When both Amedda and the guards present in the office left, the latter two because of dismissal, Sidious went to a draw on his desk. Pressing a red button that recognized only his thumbprint, he opened it to see his two lightsabers within. Before anyone could see, he concealed them in his sleeves and just in time since Amedda came back and told him Captain Kagi had readied the ship.

"Excellent, if all goes well for my mission, I shall be back before the Jedi even notice my absence," he said as Chancellor Palpatine. "They have not even noticed your Dark Side presence, all this time. If they can't do that, how can they ever hope to associate one of your trips with Darth Sidious?" Amedda asked. He laughed slightly at that remark but followed with warning that Amedda should be a little more aware of the surroundings in which he mentioned that other side.

"Sorry master, I will be more careful next time," the politician said, assuring Sidious. The Sith Lord smiled because he knew that Amedda was telling the truth and left it at that. Once he was aboard the shuttle, he immediately began changing into the robe he would use during the fight. It wasn't the greatest disguise in the universe but the hood did the trick more than anything else about it did.

Besides that, he had been last seen in the grey robes of the Chancellor and no one would be looking for him if had something else. Especially if that something else was a dark purple underneath with a red sleeved and hooded cloak, with a dark purple chest and back pad made of the same cloth as the rest. Taking his lightsabers out of his grey robes beforehand, he placed them in the same spot on his Sith attire and all this took enough time for the ship to leave Coruscant and begin the lightspeed trip. Now, all he had to do was sit back and wait for it to arrive at Mandalore, take them out of hyperspace, and lower the hatch for his access to the planet.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Having successfully recovered her apprentice from the Podraces of Malastare, Arden Lyn was now prepared to face the Yuuzhan Vong counterattack fully. "If all calculations are correct, they should be entering our end of the Hydian Way in no more than two days," a Chiss officer stated. "Good, plenty of time for us to make a plan of assault and I already know where I want to begin. The Ember of Vahla will pilot the starfighters under Depa Billaba's command and her Battle Meld.

"From here, I will take on Battle Meditation and help all our forces overcome the Yuuzhan Vong counterattack fleet to the best of my ability. But before I go into the trance, the Sorcerers of Tund will incite blessings that grant the starfighters temporary invincibility. I want our soldiers finding out the weaknesses in the fleet's vehicles and relating them back to us before they perish. One of the mistakes my husband and I made at Colomus was not gathering enough intelligence on where we could hit our Jedi enemies hardest," Arden explained.

"With due respect Mistress, perhaps it would be better if both you and I joined the fleet rather than one of us out here? Battle Meld normally requires the 'Melding' of two minds as per the name and if you and I did that, we could be very effective," Depa asked. "If I did that, we would only be effective as our two minds working to one goal in the same space and time. No, if our powers remained separate though for the same purpose, we would be able to give twice the power our soldiers need," Arden answered.******  
**

"I see Mistress, it will give the soldiers even more capability for victory though they are already highly trained and ingenious as far as fighting is concerned," Depa said. Arden nodded and repeated her sentiment about why the Battle of Colomus went out of hand as quickly as it did. "Of course, it was a massacre and the last thing you want is yet another massacre with forces under your command," the officer agreed. "Perhaps, in the meantime, we can have the Sorcerers begin their incantations immediately and you can prepare your Battle Meditation?" the same officer suggested after a moment.

Arden nodded and stated that it would indeed work to their advantage to have that going for them before the counterattack came. It took the Sorcerers less than a day to reach all the starfighters and recite their blessings and for Arden to warm up into her trance. Fortunately, it didn't take her apprentice nearly that long to get into her Battle Meld trance mode. Unfortunately, it also wasn't that long before the enemy fleet, earlier than anticipated though not much, in fact.

"To arms, we're at war!" Depas ordered to the Ember of Vahla. Luckily for her and her Mistress, it didn't take the Vahla that long to get to the starfighters they needed to be in. Nor for that matter, did it take them long to meet Depa in space as they met their Yuuzhan Vong equivalents and the cruisers from whence they came. "Follow my orders exactly and we shall be out of this in no time!" Depa shouted to all her soldiers via comlink. In the meantime, the Sorcerers were obeying orders from the Chiss officer back in the cruiser that the fighters had been carried in.

******Bo-Katan had been following **Kenobi since he had landed on Mandalore and disguised himself as a Death Watch soldier. She knew it was him almost immediately because who else would want to come and rescue her sister? Satine's only had one love interest in her life and it was Kenobi. _All she ever talked about for the first eight months after their separation was how she missed him_ she thought, remembering when they were teens.

But maybe there was some sort of secret that Satine was hiding from her and from Kenobi. If they all survived to see the end of this, she would have to ask her about it. However, since both were possibly going to be executed, the time to worry about the past or the future was not now. The Death Watch Soldiers had assigned droids to clean the wreckage but as Bo observed, they overlooked Kenobi's lightsaber. _To think that a Jedi can lose their lightsaber as many times as he has and still be respectable is unbelievable_ Bo thought.

She picked it up as the cleaning droids finished up their work and she called for her soldiers to secure the shipping docks for the Duchess and the Jedi. If the third escape attempt was to actually succeed, the Night Owls were going to have to truly fight against their enemy. No longer could they keep waging guerilla warfare with the knowledge that Maul would inevitably route them out. She and her soldiers knew this was coming from the beginning and would be ready for it.

But would Bo be ready for it with her slowly developing pregnancy? Would the baby hold her back or would it not be a problem since it had yet to swell her belly? She wanted to hope that it wouldn't but there were other effects of pregnancy with the belly only the most obvious of them all. Smacking those thoughts out of her head, she grabbed Kenobi's saber and told them that she wanted the docks secured by the time she returned with Kenobi and the Duchess.

"I don't care if you have to fight off Death Watch soldiers in the meantime, just make sure at least one of our ships is in the dock and can transport the prisoners out of Mandalore. After that, all bets are off and we will engage Death Watch fully, understood?" she added. Her lieutenants nodded and suggested that she at least take four soldiers with her to which she agreed. For her rescue plan to work, she couldn't afford to be alone and fighting against the Sith brothers that held Mandalore.

"And get me a pack with a female-designed suit of armor too. If the Duchess is going to be jetpacking around Mandalore, she's going to need something she can magnetize the pack to," Bo ordered. A soldier nodded and provided her with the package, attaching it to her chest since her jetpack made it impossible for her to place it on her back. The four soldiers she selected were the ones that were each considered the best in the four greatest squads in the Night Owls.

"Quality over quantity for a rescue mission, remember that men. It's what Pre Vizsla used to tell us and it's what we'll continue to do," Bo stated when asked about it. The memory of Death Watch's old leader made her shiver slightly because she never got over what happened to him. After all, he was the father of her unborn child, how could she ever find it in her heart to forgive Maul killing him?

How could she forgive the Zabrak for robbing Bo of her dreams for a life with Pre Vizsla after Mandalore was their? And how could she ever forgive him now that he tainted the legacy of Mandalore with his presence on the throne? Revenge would come to her as sure as Maul was hoping revenge would be his against Kenobi now. Only difference was that unlike him, she knew revenge would be hers whereas he only thought it would be his.******  
**

******For Prime Minister Almec, **the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his attempt to free Duchess Satine was nothing short of chaotic. After all, Maul and Savage had managed to catch them but not before they had to blow a ship, causing chaos in the shipping docks. The people had thought they saw the end of these sorts of attacks when Almec was reinstated and as a result, were unsettled again. "You promised us that Mandalore would again be strong yet here's another attack!" one citizen shouted.

"And in not even two days since you were reinstated too!" another added in agreement. "People of Mandalore, I realize that there has been a disturbance in the shipping docks. However, this was caused by Duchess Satine's second attempt to escape Sundari prison and her own destiny in there. In a desperate desire to be restored to power after murdering Pre Vizsla, the Duchess has persuaded her sister Bo-Katan and the Night Owls to join her in her path of deception and death! Another request Vizsla had made before he passed away was that I wipe out Bo and her Night Owls, using the red pain you see on my soldiers now for distinguishment," he began.

"Then why do they still live, you bumbling buffoon? And why are more people joining them now than they did when you were reinstated as Prime Minister? They numbered only dozens yesterday and now number almost a couple thousand thanks to the citizens who saw their fight and joined them!" yet another citizen interrupted. "Any citizen who joins the cause of the Night Owls and Duchess Satine is immediately guilty of treason and anyone who remains loyal to Mandalore is charged with their deaths," Almec answered.

This was met with many boos from the majority of the crowd. "I know that you all hate the idea of this but this is a war and in order for Mandalore to remain ours, we must win," Almec replied. "Bullshit! We want Satine back: Vive la Duchesse!" the same citizen shouted.******  
**

Then, as if tainted with some extremely contagious disease, the crowd rapidly began chanting 'Vive la Duchesse' repeatedly as if it was all they could say. Maul's not going to like this when he hears the crowd chanting. He may even kill me and dissolve my administration forever Almec thought, gulping at that prospect. Nonetheless, he would have to report this to him now that he had returned from capturing the Duchess and Kenobi.

For now though, he would have to make due with his own intuition and state yet another lie. "It has come to my attention that Kenobi was captured during the attack at the shipping dock. However, when they tried to bring the Duchess, they found her too aggressive to be kept alive," he said. "No way the Duchess would do something that stupid, not with men like Death Watch taking her in!" the starter of the cheer shouted in reply.

"Perhaps that is true and perhaps not, either way, the Duchess is dead and I am your only choice," Almec said. This caused an uproar so great that people began throwing rocks at Almec's balcony, trying desperately to hit him. "Vive la New Mandalorians, Vive la Duchesse!" the citizens shouted again. This forced Almec to incite the soldiers with him to restore order by killing the ones who started it all and forcing the rest back with blaster shots and spurts from the flamethrowers.

However, just when he thought things were beginning to improve, the horned supercommando came to him. "Lord Maul has heard the people cheering for the people, you are responsible for their support of your rule, are you not?" he asked. Almec gulped, knowing what the commando's question indicated for his future well-being. "Yes and it's just a few rioters that have temporarily turned the crowd against me, nothing more," Almec answered.

"Maul doesn't feel it's that way at all. In fact, he feels that your usefulness has just come to an end," the commando said. "Please tell him there's still so much to be done, I've yet to have even been given a chance to deal with the renegade Night Owls!" Almec begged, falling to his knees. "You beg... true Mandalorians don't beg and neither do they fear death and pain," the commando stated.

"You won't kill me, you can't kill me! I order you not to!" Almec shouted desperately. "Sorry pal, my orders come from a higher authority: after your death, I'm to take over as the new Prime Minister. I'll spread the lie you started about the Duchess' death and see to it that my soldiers finish the Night Owls where you couldn't," the commando said.

Then he grabbed Almec by the neck and lunged back so as to pull him over his head and shoulders. "No please, have mercy!" Almec begged. But as he felt the hands of the trooper go to his shoulder blades and just above his waist, he knew there would be none. "Mandalorians don't beg for mercy either, it's a wonder Maul didn't order your death sooner," the commando stated.

The trooper carried Almec back on the balcony and at first, Almec thought he was going to let him down on it long enough to apologize to the people. Instead, the man merely held him long enough to get the people's attention as well as their cheers of encouragement. "Hope you can fly better than you can talk," the commando said sarcastically. Then, before Almec could ask what he meant, the trooper bent his arms then pushed forward and bent his back toward the edge of the balcony as he did so.

And as Almec plummeted a couple thousand meters to his death, he listened as the people applauded, screamed, and whistled at the new face before them._ Oh gods on high, what have I done to deserve this cruel fate?_ he asked as his body rotated so he could see where he was landing. As he got closer to the ground, he accepted the reality: he was a failure and one that now had to be erased. Accepting this reality, he managed to calm himself before making contact with the ground; the white flash and of contact was the last thing before the darkness of death consumed him forever.

******Czulkang had been called **out of a training session with his son Tsavong for an "emergency". He made no reservation to show his aggravation in being pulled away from his son's training. However, the matter for which he was pulled out was a nasty one as he would soon discover firsthand. "Mighty Warmaster, Shimrra's counterattack fleet has arrived on schedule but there is a problem.

"Our Chiss enemy seems to have sent a fleet of their own to intercept us just outside of Malastare. We are presently engaged with them but we do not have the capacity to sustain a long term conflict with them," an officer explained. "Then withdraw the fleet now, you fools! The counterattack has clearly failed to even enter the galaxy without an encounter with Thrawn's forces," Czulkang demanded.

"We would but the Supreme Overlord has just ordered us to overcome them and continue with the plan by any means necessary. He has no regard for what we will have left when the fighting is over so long as we are victorious," the officer replied. _The fool has no sense of strategy, that is why I am the Warmaster and not him_ Czulkang thought but didn't say. In a situation like this, there was only one thing that Czulkang could do: he would have to overrule Shimrra's orders.

According to the Yuuzhan Vong code, if a Supreme Overlord's orders came and were not in the best interest of the people, the most powerful current Warmaster or the most powerful Intendant could overrule it. Nom Anor was the most influential Intendant and could protect Czulkang, the most powerful Warmaster, where it was necessary to do so should the Overlord void the overrule. Much as he hated doing so, Czulkang was going to have to trust in Nom Anor if he ever hoped to survive the brunt of Shimrra's wrath.

"The Supreme Overlord's orders are to be overruled, they will endanger the fleet if we keep to them. And as Head Warmaster, I will not sacrifice lives unnecessarily: the counterattack has failed and we should react accordingly. Get as many out as we can when we can and not a moment later," he said. "Sir, you really sure it's wise to defy the Supreme Overlord on a mission he masterminded and created?" his secondary officer asked.******  
**

"Not entirely but I know it's for the better that we do so whether he likes it or not," Czulkang answered. "It'll be awhile before the order is be relayed via Vongsense and our other means of communication but we'll get it done as soon as we can," the officer said. Czulkang was reminded, by that comment, of the deficiency of current communicative technology. It was slow as hell compared to the system the Chiss had with their holograms and the frequencies that they can be used at.

"Do what you can and when the fleet has withdrawn, let me know immediately. I'm going to have to have a talk with the Supreme Overlord about his plan. Worse, I'm going to have to tell them that they'll have to be postponed or else canceled," Czulkang replied. That jester Onimi has interfered for the last time he was saying silently.

Luckily for him, the Supreme Overlord happened to be available and the Warmaster wasted no time in voicing his complaints. "What is this about ordering the fleet to continue after the attack is over? There might not be anything left for an attack on one planet, never mind the entirety of Chiss defenses!" he shouted. "The fleet was never meant to complete their mission but rather, for me to find out if the Chiss have any allies on their side," Shimrra replied.

When Czulkang said nothing, Shimrra continued with what he had to say about it. "Though the Chiss patent is on the ships and the cruiser, no Chiss is piloting the fighters. And there are no more than about a dozen or so Chiss officers aboard the cruiser itself. Thrawn might have known about the fleet but there was no way he could have been able to do anything about it if he has sent his allies to stop us.

"You see Czulkang, the fleet was nothing more than a test of calculations in the Chiss defenses. I asked myself these questions: have I spread them thinly or do I still need work? If I still need work, where do I need it most? Lastly, if I need no further work, where can I hit them hardest to shatter the defenses and bring the main force into the galaxy at last?

"While you and Nom Anor were busy playing the part of the public leaders of this fleet, I was puppeteering its true purpose from in the darkness. I never intended to stop you from overruling my orders because I knew you or Nom Anor would eventually do just that. Rather, I intended to make the orders just to see where I need to strike hardest in the future now that they've been overruled. Now I know and it is safe for the fleet to withdraw what remains of itself when they can," Shimrra explained.

Czulkang couldn't believe what he was hearing: if what Shimrra said was true, a Warmaster had been played for a fool. And a very big fool considering the full depth of Shimrra's curiosity for knowledge of his enemy. But the way Shimrra explained it revealed something that probably was common knowledge by now: Shimrra was not really saying them.

Instead, Onimi was saying them with Shimrra as his face, it had been his idea more than the Supreme Overlord's. _Onimi's got his hand so far up Shimrra's ass that our Supreme Overlord is little more than a mit for him now_ Czulkang thought but didn't say. Too long had the Shamed One, who rose through the ranks rapidly, been controlling the ruler of the Yuuzhan Vong. Now there was only one thing to do: see if he could conspire with Nom Anor to kill Onimi and restore the real Shimrra.

The enemy of his enemy was not a friend but an ally and a very cunning one at that. Nom would know how to either use his own resources to eliminate Onimi or use the allies of Thrawn to their end. Like the Intendant said, he wanted many things and in time he would get them all. But for now, he needed to put aside his own wants and help Czulkang for the greater good of their people.

Fortunately, Czulkang did not have to overdo his lack for a gift of words as Nom had also come to the same conclusion after the Warmaster relayed Shimrra's speech. "There is only one thing we can do: we can sit back and wait to see if Thrawn's allies will come to us. We cannot openly challenge Onimi or Shimrra without inducing internal conflict not seen since Quoreal's demise," Nom stated. Czulkang agreed that it wouldn't work to their best interest but was a little but was baffled when Nom said he had a little secret to show the Warmaster.

"When Quoreal was killed, I was part of the team that was supposed to dispose of his body. For the public to think, I told him I had done just that. However, that is not the real story," Nom said. "What are you implying, Intendant?" Czulkang asked.

"It's not safe to speak of it here but I want to show you the true fate of Quoreal's body and the... modifications I've made to the broken remains. Dead as he might be, I still have a use for the former Supreme Overlord," Nom answered. Czulkang raised an eyebrow in suspicion and followed Anor to see what he was speaking of. He would become aghast with horror and shock at what Nom would show him back in his own personal Palace deep in the capital of the Yuuzhan Vong Empire mostly because of-did it deserve to be called it?- unnatural, it was.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

"Your noble flaw is a weakness shared by you and your Duchess. You should have chosen the Dark Side, Master Jedi," Maul said to Kenobi. And as he spoke, he used the Force to levitate and slowly strangle Duchess Satine before the eyes of the helpless Jedi. _No wonder why his Order forbids attachments of this sort: just look at how he sweat and quivers with fear_ Maul thought happily.

"Your feelings betray you, your fear and yes, your anger. Let your anger deepen your hatred," Maul added after a little bit. "Don't listen to him, Obi!" Satine demanded weakly. Savage made to silence her but Maul stopped him to see how Kenobi would respond. "You can kill me but you will never destroy me. It takes strength to resist the Dark Side, only the weak embrace it!" Obi-Wan replied.

"It is more powerful than you know," Maul said as he turned to face his helpless victim. "And those who oppose it are more powerful than you'll ever be!" Obi-Wan snapped. Maul almost broke Satine's neck right that but what he said next set him off guard. "I know where you're from, I've been to your village.

"And I know the decision to join the Dark Side wasn't yours: the Nightsisters made it for you," Kenobi began. "Silence! You think you know me? It was I who languished for years thinking of nothing but you, nothing but this moment and now the perfect tool for my vengeance is right in front of us. I never planned on killing you but I will make you share my pain, Kenobi," Maul interrupted.

What Obi-Wan said next truly surprised Maul, setting him off guard more than the comment about his past did. Unfortunately, it also reminded him slightly of what Arden Lyn had said to him in the caverns of Irkalla. "Wait, you think you know pain? While I can honestly say that I regret having done what I did to you, it cannot be as bad as the life I have lived as a Jedi.

"Besides Satine, I have known romance with two other women: the first was a resistance fighter named Cerasi. Alongside Qui-Gon, I helped her attempt to liberate her world but she did not live to reap up the benefits of her struggle. She died before her world was free from the tyrant who ruled over it then. Satine was second and unlike Cerasi, she did live to become who she was until you and Death Watch took over Mandalore.

"The third was a fellow Jedi named Siri Tachi... she also died as I held her in my arms. Plus, Savage killed her Master on Florumm and she was the closest to a mother figure I ever had. Qui-Gon would have made for the closest thing to a father I ever had, having never known my real family. Until you know what it's like to lose someone you care about or even love once, never mind four times as I have, you will never know what pain is.

"I won't give into my hatred, though in your case it is existent, but I won't let you kill anymore people whom I love either," he said. He proved it but rapidly using the Force to steal Vizsla's darksaber off Maul and decapitate the guards that held him back with its black blade. Then he launched a Force Push at Maul powerful enough to throw him into his brother and let go of his hold on Satine. The Duchess then ran over to Kenobi who then led her away from the Throne Room and out the Palace.

Along the way, she asked about the other girls and if he truly deeply loved them as he said he loved her. "If there was anyone close to that, it would've been Siri. Cerasi and I were very young when we met and it was more like a crush. But Siri and I were friends before we were lovers which gave our relationship an edge after it became romantic. However, even she was never the deep kind of love I feel for you especially since the Order forbid us from showing such attachments or acting out on them," Obi-Wan explained.

Satine smiled, glad to know that she had been number one even if he did have diversions in his attention. Obi-Wan killed Death Watch soldiers whenever necessary and at last, after several hours of fighting, they were free. However, Obi-Wan sensed that they were being followed by Maul and Savage who would surely want to kill them both now. Luckily, the Night Owls came to the rescue just in time and their leader delivered Obi-Wan his regular lightsaber.

"Get the Duchess, out of here, I'll join you as soon as I can," Kenobi said. "Where are you going?!" Satine asked. "To rid myself of these demons, once and for all. It's what Qui-Gon would have wanted," he answered.

"Obi, no! They'll kill you!" she begged. "I don't think so, I managed to defeat them with two sabers last time we fought. I think I can do it again, miss, take Satine away before she has a chance to persuade me from doing this," he replied, speaking to the leader when he made the last comment. The Mandalorian nodded and introduced herself as Bo-Katan before saying she would do it.

"Please, Obi, please!" Satine begged as she was taken away. "Bo, patch me the coordinates to the Sundari Courtyard. Once I've finished with the brothers, I'll join you there for a dash to the shipping docks," Obi-Wan said, ignoring Satine's cries. Bo nodded in acknowledgement before taking Satine away as she beat on her to put her down.

Then Obi-Wan reactivated both lightsaber and darksaber as the brothers began catching up to him. _I'm sorry Satine, I love you very much but I have to do this_ Obi-Wan said silently. Readying himself into an attack position, he began with a slow, deliberate walk towards his enemies. Then he slowly built up pace towards them as his walk turned into a speedwalk, then into a jog, until he was running. The Zabrak brothers almost failed to see this but ignited their own lightsabers just in time to meet his first attack.

He spun and slashed as he did so, throwing his body in very fluid and almost inhuman positions. Maul responded by jumping diagonally around him and hacking downward with Juyo. Kenobi caught this with the darksaber and intercepted a twirl from Savage's blade. But the brothers kicked him in the chest in unison and they watched as he was thrown into the air before rolling onto the ground. "We cannot be defeated the same way twice Kenobi, even if the tools have changed!" Maul snarled.

"I'm not fighting you the same I did on Florumm even if I'm still using Jar'Kai. Have you noticed the changes in my technique?" Obi-Wan replied. Maul thought about that for a moment, raising an eyebrow in confusion but then suddenly he realized that Kenobi was right. Unlike Florumm, Kenobi was using a lot more spins, twirls, and jumps than the hacks and slashes the brothers had seen before. It had made him even more powerful than before and now, the brothers would have even more trouble dealing with Obi-Wan.

The duel continued with Obi-Wan pushing the brothers further back into the Palace then kicking them each in the face at least once. But before he managed to push them all the way back into the throne room, Bo-Katan sent him the communication for arriving at the courtyard. "What is that? I thought we jammed all the frequencies, Savage!" Maul shouted.

"While the two of you were busy chasing me and the Duchess around, the Night Owls undid the jam on communications to some of the local frequencies. Now, I can communicate to the Night Owls though I would still need to leave Mandalore in order to bring messages to the Jedi," Obi-Wan explained._ Somehow, I knew this would happen at some point_ Maul thought. But still, it was a move that he didn't expect to have happened so soon, not when his plans were still unfinished.

"We will kill you Kenobi and when we do, we will be sure to send your body back to the Council in _pieces_!" he shouted aloud. "I thought you never intended to kill me," Obi-Wan mocked with his usual smile. But before Maul could do anything, Obi-Wan kicked him and Savage yet again and used the jetpack Bo gave him in order to pull himself away from them. Then he took off and flew for the courtyard, having embarrassed the brother in one last duel for the avengement of Qui-Gon and Adi.

_ I never intended to kill Maul either but I did want to humiliate him one last time which is precisely what I've done with stalling him long enough for my plans to be set in motion_ he thought. And having successfully seen the initiation of those plans, he now had to focus on getting himself and Duchess Satine out of Mandalore and to Coruscant. But not before he had to fight through several Death Watch soldiers and get acquainted with using a jetpack rather quickly. When he met with Bo Katan and the Duchess again, the latter woman was quick to jump on him and hug him.

"Don't you ever scare the hell out of me like that again, understand?" she demanded. "Not to worry, my dear. If all goes well, it won't be happening again any time soon," he replied. Then he noticed that Bo was lugging around something that was obviously weighing her down. "What is that?" he asked, pointing to it.

"It's Satine's suit of armor if she were willing to take it for use," Bo said. "What choice do I have? If I'm going to survive to escape to Coruscant, I'm going to need to fight," Satine admitted. When she did put on the suit, Obi-Wan decided to do something that surprised even Bo when he first did it.

"Satine, here's the darksaber. You'll need it more than I will," he said. The Duchess activated and swiped at the air with it, the fluidity of which impressed both Kenobi and Bo. "You're still more the natural with those sorts of weapons than I ever was," Bo added.

"Hopefully, it's enough to get me through though I'll probably need a pistol or two as well," Satine replied. Kenobi gave her the pistol at his waist, knowing he wasn't going to be needing it and suggested that they get going immediately. He was first so as to secure the way for them and Bo followed after the Duchess so that she had protection at both sides.

Finally, the fight to escape Mandalore had begun with every single Night Owl still alive engaging a member of Death Watch as per Bo's orders. And as they made the escape, Satine couldn't believe what she saw or heard. The Mandalore she had created with the assistance of the Jedi had fallen apart at long last, thanks to a few rebels and their enemies. Where once there had been the law and order of peace, there was now the savagery and chaos of war.

And even though she was grateful that Obi-Wan had rescued her from Vizsla and the Sith, she began to question the deed's righteousness and nobility. As they flew by the skyscrapers of Mandalore, she found herself watching Kenobi more and more while she thought of this. Not only that but she found herself doing so in the same fashion as she had done when they first met. "We have to get out of here, Satine!" she heard him shout.

She nodded faintly and began to follow him and her sister to the shipping docks. But as she did so, she began to wonder: had facing death in the eye restore her love for him? Did this restored love explain why she held every minute with him to heart now? Or had she never lost this love she felt for him and was just realizing that now?

All these questions bother her but the most important one was yet to be asked. That question was this: would she want to spend the rest of her life with Kenobi despite knowing he was a Jedi? Or would that Code and its forbidding of attachment or marriage make that an intolerable impossibility? She did her best to keep focus on her flight path though Death Watch was soon following them, including the horned supercommando she had seen earlier.******  
**

One of the Night Owl soldiers who accompanied them had been shot down by him and she immediately retaliated by shooting back. It was enough to take her thoughts off her love for Kenobi for the moment as Bo and Kenobi used Satine's fighting to secure the last bit of passage to the docks. She even managed to get a few rounds off on the supercommando's jetpack before watching him spin out of control. Eventually, he landed right into a building wall and the jetpack exploded, killing him almost instantly.

But it wasn't long before they arrived at the tunnel leading to the shipping dock where Kenobi's ship had once stood before Maul's forces shot it down. Here, the remaining pursuers tried to shoot them down though one of them was caught off guard by a jetpack missile from the Night Owls. The rest engaged Bo and the Night Owls as Satine made her way to the datascreen where she could open the door. Punching in a code, Satine was initially surprised to see that it didn't work and tried all the codes until she found the right one.

Bo had just finished beating a soldier to death when this was figured out and the door opened for Kenobi and Satine to see a hellish sight. All of the area surrounding the docks were ablaze, Night Owl and Death Watch soldiers chased after each other across the sky, and some were on the ground. The ones that were on the ground were beating each other death if they were not shooting their missiles at the ones in the sky or using their wrist blasters for fighting.

When Bo and her men came to see the sight along with the Duchess and Kenobi, they were immediately amazed to see it had such a scale. "Maul must really want you two dead," she said when she saw the sight of the fighting. "You have no idea," Obi-Wan and Satine both said simultaneously. The lovers looked at each other in surprise but Bo gestured for them to continue on.

Ordering a ship to come down for their use, Bo ordered all her soldiers to at least hold the docks until the ship had arrived and picked up the Duchess and Kenobi. In the meantime, Bo engaged another horned supercommando in hand-to-hand combat. At that same time, Duchess Satine was getting more and more accustomed to the darksaber as she used it on more soldiers. And as Kenobi still turned to his lightsaber, she made sure he didn't notice her occasional use of her armor's arsenal.

"This is just like the old days, only I was less helpless back then," she said to him as she used her gauntlet's flamethrower on a soldier. "You and I remember those old days very differently, darling," he replied. Satine smirked and threw a couple thermal detonators before she turned back to the use of her newly acquired darksaber. _Maybe that's something we'll discuss along the way back to Coruscant_ she thought but didn't say.

It was sometime before a ship did come that could take them away from Mandalore but unfortunately, it was filled with Night Owl troops. This wouldn't have been so unfortunate if it weren't for the fact that shortly after they left the ship, three Death Watch soldiers shot it down. Their three jetpack missiles compromised the ship's engines in such a manner that it spun out of control. Worse, when it landed, it exploded in the entry leading into the shipping docks, sealing it off permanently.

For the trio, there would be no trouble getting around in spite of this due to their jetpacks but that was riskier. By the time another ship _did_ come, Bo made sure it had no troops beforehand then signaled it to land when there was a clear landing pad. She also ordered it to face spaceward so that Kenobi and the Duchess escaped, they would be out of the planet in a hurry. The pilot exited the ship to engage more Death Watch soldiers and even took on the second supercommando though he was dispatched with some ease.

Satine used her missile while the horned lieutenant of Maul was distracted and she watched as it his jetpack, igniting it and leaving nothing but a burning corpse remaining though this would be gone also. She didn't get to enjoy this long because Bo signaled her and Kenobi to board the ship, which she quickly obliged after another fight. So quickly, in fact, that she barely had time to thank Bo for helping her out before she was on the ship and in passenger seat. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, was a little slower in getting in but that was because Bo still had orders to give him.

"Go back to your Republic and tell them what has happened here!" she shouted. "That would likely lead to a Republic invasion of Mandalore!" Obi-Wan warned. "Yes and Maul will die but Mandalore will survive, we always survive!" she replied. "You're Satine's sister, aren't you?" he asked after a moment to think.

The way she looked at him, despite shooting the enemy troops in front of her, was enough to tell him the answer to that question. "Don't worry, I will take care of her at least until I can find her a new place to live her days in," he said. "You'd better, for I may be the baby sister but I've got a nasty temper and I'm not afraid to use it," she replied. He smiled and told her he wouldn't have it any other way before boarding the ship and taking the controls for himself.

Bo watched as the ship carrying her sister and her lover flew off as she continued to shoot down Death Watch troops. She wondered if it might have been the same with her and Pre Vizsla had Maul not joined their struggle in restoring the warrior ways of old._ Funny how our ancestors worked with the Sith before and we did just that in restoring those old ways. Will the Sith always be there to stick their hand up our asses when it suits their purpose?_ she asked herself.

In the meantime, Satine and Kenobi watched as the war-ridden skies of Mandalore gave way to the unaffected void of outer space. At any other time, the sight of it might have been something to overlook but for Satine, it was like a dagger thrust into her heart. "Are you alright, Satine?" Obi-Wan asked, sensing her pain and perhaps even feeling it too. Initially, she didn't know how to respond to his question, having never had to realize that she might not see her homeland again.

Then she decided it was best just to tell it to him straight even if he didn't like it all that much. "It's just that every time I've traveled out of Mandalore before, I could always have the guarantee that I would be allowed to return. Now, however, there is no going back to Mandalore for as long as I live or at least for a decade or so. How can I cope with being away from the place of my birth for even one year, never mind my whole life?" she said.

"I've never had a family, I've only had the Jedi Order for as long as I can possibly remember. In a way, I guess you could say I am blessed for having never had to worry about never returning to my homeworld again," he said. "That's hardly a blessing, Master Jedi," she stated. "How so?" he asked.

"Because then you do not know what you could've had until it is forever gone. I know because when you left Mandalore with Qui-Gon all those years ago, I didn't realize what I had. That is, until you were gone and I no longer had a chance to share my revelations with you," she answered. His head fell so that he looked at breastplate of his armor and at first, had nothing to say about that or anything else.

Then he put the ship on autopilot which surprised her and he turned to walk over to the seat next to hers. Dismounting the jetpack for better spacing as she had done before him, he began to play with a strand of her blond hair. "I'm here now Satine, share those revelations with me as much as you wish," he said. And for a brief time, it actually did look like as though she just might do that especially after she gave him a prolonged, passionate kiss.

But he stopped himself from fully giving into his feelings for her and she asked what was wrong. "I forgot: we still need to make the jump for lightspeed in order to get to Coruscant," he said. She giggled when he made mention of that and she allowed him to go back to the ship's controls. "Perhaps after the formalities with the Senate are over and a place of stay is secure for me?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he inquired. "I mean for me sharing my revelations with you," she replied. "Oh yes, of course, my darling. Assuming the Jedi Council doesn't drag me away for too damned long. Coordinates are locked, prepare for lightspeed," he said. Then he pulled down on the lightspeed lever and completed their escape from war-ridden Mandalore.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Arriving on Mandalore, at last, Sidious had to admit that he was sometimes disappointed by the transportation that the Republic provided him. Even with lightspeed being the fastest means of travel, the ships were still slow as hell if they weren't of military design. It was no wonder the Separatists had the Republic on a stalemate that he hoped wouldn't last as long as it did._ I will give the good General props for always keeping the Jedi on their toes, he does a good job of that_ Sidious thought.

But even though he arrived at Mandalore at last, he also knew that he wouldn't be allowed to go to the Palace unopposed. This was especially confirmed when he finally landed and he saw two Death Watch guards at the shipping dock. Keeping his hands crossed at his pelvis, he walked off the shuttle ramp as though they were not present. This kept up until he ascended the stairs leading to his transport to the Palace, the guards having pointed their blasters at him since he left his ship. "Halt!" one of them ordered when he was merely centimeters away from them.

Taking pity on them, Sidious took a moment to lift up one of his hands and begin a Force Choke on both troopers. He walked past them and continued to the airspeeder that would take him to Sundari Palace and put in the coordinates on its CPU. Then he finished the Force Choke and killed both troopers just in time for the hatch doors to open and close on the three of them. The sight he beheld after that was an amazing one: Death Watch was fighting against its own allies, the Night Owls.

_ Maul most likely usurped leadership of Death Watch from Governor Vizsla and killed him soon after. Not a surprising turn of events and would most definitely explain the fighting that present happens around me_ Sidious thought to himself. Several members of both factions zoomed by him on jetpacks and he even had to duck under one or two as they flew to kill each other off. This planetary fight seemed more like a massive brawl with no strategy but there was the Mandalorian way in a small description.

Sidious could barely understand why his Sith predecessors resorted to these brutes but it was most likely their abundance combined with their ferocity and relentlessness. Those two Sith virtues alone made them more than qualified to be the bulk of an army great enough to assault the galaxy. _Perhaps I myself will have use for Mandalorians in the future. In the meantime, however, those who stand in my way are a hindrance_ Sidious told himself silently.

But even with this fighting, it wasn't long before he passed by Sundari Prison and the banks that had been raided by the allies of Maul and Death Watch. After all, in order to overthrow the Duchess, Death Watch would need to look like heroes instead of terrorists. And because Maul was most likely the one who engineered this plan, Sidious was proud to say he had trained the Zabrak well. But sadly, all that training and those years raising Maul had gone to waste now that he had returned from Naboo.

There was only one thing that Maul was now and that was a rival. After all, why would Maul go to the trouble of creating a power base in the first place if not to fight him? If Maul had not failed in any aspect of his training, he would understand that he could never return to Sidious' side. But if he did say it regardless of that, it would only be a deception to catch Sidious off guard and kill him.

He would not allow that for a second nor would he defeat them on his own terms when finally he met them. Rather, he would fight them on theirs via the lightsaber so as to show them how powerful they truly were compared to him. It was a crude display of power but it would be effective and even if they did put up a good fight, it would be a lost one from the moment he gazed upon them. The thought of a guaranteed victory put a smile on his face but he would prolong the duel.

This would make the victory sweeter when it finally did come and since Savage Opress was Darth Maul's brother, he would kill Opress first. Maul would become blinded by rage, assuming he cared about Savage, and would become sloppy in his fighting. Sidious could then easily finish him off and complete his plans on the poor boy for he was more valuable than Savage was. Why was this, he asked himself?

Because unlike Savage, Maul had had lifetime training in the ways of the Dark Side. He proved time and time again that he was a more than capable Sith warrior unlike his brother. While Sidious knew that both brothers needed to die, he was not about to let Maul's talents go waste, not yet anyways. He had designs in his plan that he still needed Maul's bladework for including the security of his vision.

He arrived at the entrance to the Palace and knew what he was going to do once he met up with the brothers. Now, it was just a matter of getting to them and luckily, the war outside had diverted most of Maul's forces and compelled him into relying on six guards at most. Two met him at the entrance and they were both killed in the same fashion as the ones at the shipping docks. The next pair tried to stop him at the elevator leading to the Throne room but they were no match for him either.

Along the way, he decided to use the Force to scan the entire perimeter of the Upper Levels of Sundari Palace, figuring it was better to know how he could escape safely now than later. Though he sensed Kenobi had left Mandalore long before he arrived to Coruscant, one couldn't be too careful. However, all he detected were the auras of his former apprentice and Savage Opress and the other two presences were guards not attuned to the Force. Undoubtedly, Maul would sense his presence now if he hadn't already which allowed Sidious to enthusiastically confirm it; and he did just that.******  
**

**During her meditation, Arden Lyn** was disturbed by the light of the Kashi Mer Talisman which told her that Maul and Savage were nearing their ends. "You sensed it too, Mistress?" Depa asked. "Yes I did... contact Prince Xizor and inform him to withdraw all his assets from supporting the Shadow Collective. He stands more to gain by doing so than he does by remaining in an alliance with the Sith brothers," Arden answered.

"Is that really wise, Mistress? Once he withdraws those assets, even we won't have access to them," Depa warned. "I realize that but we have enough manpower without those non-sentient, programmed beings to hold our own against the Yuuzhan Vong. Besides that, Thrawn will back us up if we're caught in a Yuuzhan Vong pincer," Arden replied.

_And besides that, I hate the very notion of machines being used for fighting. They have better purposes elsewhere than they do for what rightfully belongs to biologicals_ Arden thought angrily. Depa put in a communication code to contact Prince Xizor and Arden decided to watch the conversation as it took place. "Ah Lady Depa, so glad you called," he said when he saw her hologram from his side.

"You can drop the charade, Prince Xizor. I am contacting you on behalf of my Mistress to inform you that a premonition has been granted us. Darth Maul and his brother will fall on Mandalore and you stand to gain more by withdrawing your support from them than if you don't," Depa stated. Xizor took a moment to think about that though Arden honestly thought it shouldn't have even taken him that long to come to a decision.

"I am a man who seeks greater wealth that can be then dispersed amongst the properties of Black Sun, restoring it to the glory it knew before Maul. Very well, I shall withdraw all Kuat and Black Sun related assets away from the Shadow Collective. With the death of Lom Pyke, his family has given all they can and are no longer needed. That leaves Maul with only the Death Watch unless they've turned on him or worse," Xizor said.

"No, only the Night Owl faction has turned on him but besides that Death Watch has been usurped by Maul from its previous leader," Depa replied. Arden watched intently as her apprentice recalled a minor detail from their visions: one that had seen Maul beheading Pre Vizsla. _But how could she know that the Night Owls betrayed Maul after he took power?_ she asked herself. It was strange that Arden had not known this when Depa did, she would have to ask her apprentice after this.

"I am guessing you will soon be on your little crusade to what lies beyond the Void of the Galaxy?" Xizor asked. "What concern is it to you?" Depa replied. _A stupid move, my apprentice but not entirely a detrimental one_ Arden observed silently. "If it does not harm you at all, I would like your Mistress to come next to you so I can semi-meet her before you both disappear," Xizor said.

Depa turned to her Mistress and initially, Arden didn't know what to make of the summons. However, she figured there was only one way to make sense of it and that was to obey him. But she didn't do it before putting her hood over her nose so as to hide her eyes and all but her mouth. Like with the Ember of Vahla and the Sorcerers before, she figured this would intimidate him to silence.******  
**

Fortunately, it did serve that effect as she could tell by the shiver that went down his spine when he saw her. "I can see why you hide behind shadows and darkness now and though I am not Force-attuned, I can tell your power is too great to be trifled with," he said. "From my husband's mistakes and my previous ones, I have learned it is best to avoid direct engagement where possible," she admitted. "Probably for the better, it gives you more power to think of a cunning strategy for your ultimate revenge against the Jedi," he agreed.

"Revenge for myself is not in my best interest: justice for my husband, the Legions of Lettow, and the way of life we had is what I seek. The way of life that it preached shall be restored in this galaxy and made available for all, from Ember of Vahla to Mandalorian warrior," she replied. "Quite an ambitious plan but why are you helping Thrawn? Does it not hinder your plan?" he asked.

"On the contrary, it builds up our credibility more than the Jedi have ever done with this Clone Wars business. We will prove ourselves the true peacekeepers and many will rally to us," she answered. "In that case, I wish you all the luck in the universe as far as your plans are concerned," he said with a bow. "As I wish you all the luck you need for yours," she replied before cutting transmission.

Depa looked at her in a way that seemed odd to Arden and she asked what was wrong. "One moment, you say that the Yuuzhan Vong are our contingency plan should the brothers fail. Another moment, you're talking of reestablishing the Legions of Lettow as a kind of Salvation group. What are your true intentions or are you just telling us things to satisfy us?" Depa asked.

"A wise Master never reveals their true intentions to even their apprentices until they are ready to strike. That's one thing I've found agreeable with the Sith though I can assure you there are many things I disagree with, same as with the Jedi," Arden answered. "So you'll keep me in the dark until your entire plan is laid out and it can't fail?" Depa inquired with a raised eyebrow. "I know it troubles you that I should do it but I must in order for those plans to survive," Arden admitted.

"You fear me, don't you? I can sense that you fear what I will become," Depa said with a sneer. "If you think I fear you than your senses are duller than I thought: I mistrust you. That is not the same as fearing you," Arden stated calmly.

"You're no better than the Sith, you boast these claims of your innocence when twenty credits say that you have lied about your life," Depa growled under her breath. "Do you think you have what it takes to beat me now? Remember that if you do attack, you will prove to be not better than me if I am indeed as bad as the Sith," Arden asked. The ignition of her lightsaber was all Arden needed to know that her apprentice was going to try and attack her.

"Please put it away, I don't want to resort to force in front of the crew and my luck with diplomacy has not been the best without you adding unto it," Arden begged. "The way of the Dark Side prevents me from doing that, Mistress," Depa stated. "Then you have failed to comprehend the lesson I have tried to teach you. Accept all the principles that have righteousness, not all the ones in the universe," Arden replied, a tear falling from her because she did truly care for Depa Billaba.

"On the contrary, I've learned it well. Now shut up!" Depa said as she lunged with her lightsaber towards Arden. The older woman turned just in time to see Depa jump into the air which told her that all she had to do was use the deflection spell of her sword to throw her apprentice off guard. Quickly, she withdrew enough of her blade to be able to intercept the saber blow and cast the spell in time for Depa to suffer its effects.

She was sent to the other side of the bridge where the two of them were engaged in combat and was struck by the pain of the electricity in a manner that prevented movement. Arden wasted no time exploiting this and used telekinesis to fling her apprentice first left then right then left and right again. She ended after this pattern repeated several times by bringing her back to her side and throwing her there. "Go ahead Mistress, kill me... I'd sooner die than answer to you again for another moment," Depa said, not even bothering to beg for mercy.

For Arden, it was tempting to obey her apprentice's wish for death to the point of intoxication as Depa had warranted it with her attack. But Arden didn't even draw out her sword to deal the killing blow or make any kind of movement in the Force. Instead, she simply stood there as her apprentice asked her what she was waiting for and begging her to kill her. "No... I am not truly a being of the Light but I am not consumed by the Dark Side to not see irrationality," Arden said at last.

"I don't understand," Depa admitted. "When I woke from my hibernation, I had nothing but my Talisman, my sword, my clothes, and my life. You give me more to live for via the sisterly bond I have been attempting to develop. I guess being the only daughter next to three boys isn't much experience to draw from in forming a sisterhood with someone else," Arden explained.

Depa added that perhaps it was best to view her as a daughter instead since Arden was far older than Depa ever was. "You're just as rebellious as a daughter can be to her mother, as I most certainly was to my own when I fell in love with Xendor. Please do not attack me again, I will not grant this same leniency twice," Arden agreed with a nod. "I'm sorry I doubted you for even a split moment, Mistress; I just got so frustrated when you told different stories to different people," Depa stated.

"An understandable frustration, I assure you of that. There is no need to apologize for there is nothing to forgive. You were within your rights to question me though not in your rights to attack me," Arden explained. "I understand now Mistress, it won't happen again," Depa vowed. "For both our sakes, I truly hope so," Arden warned.

Then she stated that the time of Maul and Savage's deaths were merely seconds away and readied the Talisman. "I'm going to transfer Savage's midichlorians into your bloodstream when he dies and Maul's into mine when he is gone. Having said that, I need a count from each of us before we complete this transfer so we know what we have afterwards," Arden said. A prick of each of their fingers was ordered after that and both women were surprised by the numbers.

Depa had a count of fourteen thousand midichlorians in her blood and Arden had a count of fifteen. "Good, when the transfer is complete another count will be taken to see if it really worked," Arden stated. "Then let's waste no time and begin the ceremony," Depa demanded. Arden could not agree more as she began applying power into the Talisman.

**Thrawn looked at the** charts for the Yuuzhan Vong strategy and was a little disappointed to see that the formations had barely changed since Arden's attack. What was holding them back when they could very easily get into positions to surround and overwhelm his defenses? Were they so dependent on the counterattack that if it failed, they would retreat? Or was the Supreme Overlord planning something else and merely using the counterattack fleet as a test or preparation for that greater plan?

It's not like them to stall around and wait. The fact that they haven't changed formations in a standard month is frustrating as it is Thrawn noted silently. But it was a good puzzle that would need solving, that much Thrawn had to give his enemy credit for. A closer look at the formations however, revealed something about the Yuuzhan Vong that he had not seen before.

He was right in his suspicion that it was out of their character to not move in less than a month. In fact, it was a downright outrage that they hadn't done so which was a strange thing._ What_ is_ that damned Supreme Overlord waiting for? Or have I been wrong in my assumption of who dictated the war strategy and I've been fighting someone else this entire time?_ Thrawn asked himself.

"Captain, see what you can do to disrupt the formations on the Southwest front, see if you can provoke them into combat. At this point, they're probably sporadic and hungry for the excitement of combat. But don't let off too much, send testing rounds at them in case they're easy to provoke," he ordered. He had to get them fighting again somehow and since Arden had a Sorcerer of Tund report success in repelling the counterattack not to long ago, he could act independently of her.

_But she still has a use beyond finding Vergere and bringing the information she has back into my domain. What if I could use her and her allies to provoke the Yuuzhan Vong to war on a scale that would only wipe out their defenses? Admittedly, there is the risk that Arden and Depa will fall but so long as the enemy is defeated, it's a worthy one_ Thrawn told himself. Thus, his final plan was formed: he would wait until Arden went to the Void and engaged the Yuuzhan Vong there.

The formations Southwest and West of his defenses would most likely retreat to defend their home territory. Once they did that, he could then ordered his forces and the Killik armies into a massive assault on those forces in turn. Since the ship itself was of Chiss patent and Chiss officers were on board, it would look like a retaliation more than a planned pincer maneuver. But there was yet another problem: if Arden survived along with her apprentice, they would think he had betrayed them.

Their power was fearful and uncontrollable enough when they were his allies but to have them turn against him... He could only pray that the Yuuzhan Vong knew how to kill fallen Jedi at that point since he didn't. The Chiss Admiral especially had no knowledge as to how he could defeat these two if they came back under the belief that he had betrayed them and left them for dead. But then he asked himself why they would if his forces came in and helped them out of the trap.

A delay in the arrival of his forces could be one thing and it had happened before with other allies. Then he decided it was best to give them little to no reason to believe he would betray them until it suited his design or they had become too wild. "Oh and Captain, see what you can do about giving cover fire to Arden Lyn and her allies should the Yuuzhan Vong decide to attack her along her path. I don't want her to be given the impression that we have forgotten or abandoned her," he ordered at last.

Sure he was a treacherous man and he had betrayed allies before but he didn't want to betray_ these_ ones if he could help it. If anything, he wished only to save his treachery usage for the Killik scum more than he wanted to use it on them. Those insects wouldn't know what hit them until it was too late for them to do so. _Ah yes, there's a perfect idea right there: we could trick them into attacking the Yuuzhan Vong when Arden engages them_ he thought.

The Killiks were just as excitable as the Yuuzhan Vong and wouldn't hesitate to fight them again if given the chance. Then he could fake leaving to his private suite and leaving his Captain in charge long enough for the blame to shift on the poor man rather than Thrawn himself. Of course, that was assuming the Killiks failed and Arden wanted to point a finger at somebody... A most excellent strategy to him.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

Maul knew that by now, Kenobi and Satine had escaped and had to admit he was a little disappointed. After this was over, he would need _another_ new Prime Minister now that Almec and his replacement were both dead. Or else he himself now needed to become the legitimate Prime Minister and openly rule Mandalore though that would attract too much unwanted attention. "Kenobi has put us in a dilemma we can never hope to overcome, my brother," Savage said, voicing his opinion.

"Yes my apprentice, Kenobi has left us with no replacement Prime Minister for Almec and he has escaped with the Duchess. In addition, Almec was incompetent enough to lead the people into believing that Duchess Satine is dead which puts us at yet another disadvantage. We couldn't even use her as our public face against the Jedi and the CIS if we wanted to now," Maul admitted. Then suddenly, something else began to bother him... something dangerous and overbearing for Maul.

"What is it, brother?" Savage asked, seeing his Maul's look of distractedness. "Hmm, I sense a presence, a presence I haven't felt since..." Maul began. A shiver ran down his spine as he recognized who it was just in time for his remaining two Mandalorian guards to be thrown to the wall behind them. The fatal Force Choke that followed confirmed the presence of Lord Sidious more than the door that revealed him upon opening did.

_ My only hope for my brother and myself now is to deceive him and negotiate. He will not relent in killing us unless I can do that_ Maul thought in a panic. He greeted Sidious by recognizing him as a Master and kneeling before him, his head kept toward the ground in submission. "I am most impressed to see that you have survived your injuries," Sidious said directly.

Maul was initially baffled by the comment, having expected that Sidious would be disappointed in him returning from the failure of Naboo, never mind the additional failure at Raydonia. However, he did not let this delay his verbal reply to Sidious' comment for more than a few seconds. "I used your training, Master and I have built all this in hopes of returning to your side," he said immediately. _Excellent, implant the deception with a truth to filter it through: I did use his training though I didn't build this for him_ Maul thought.

Maul knew Savage would be thinking him to be crazy bowing before the very man who had discarded him but he didn't let this bother him too much. That is, not until Sidious also observed Savage hanging around Maul like the servant Maul himself had once been. "Hmmm, how unfortunate that you are attempting to deceive me," Sidious stated. _No, how could that have failed?_ Maul asked himself silently.

"Master?" he asked aloud, letting his confusion at the statement show. "You have become... a rival!" Sidious replied before throwing the brothers against the Throne Room windows with the Force. He held them there with telekinesis that they desperately tried to escape as he laughed quietly and smiled widely. Then he let them go and Maul knew that this was a statement of desire for a lightsaber duel.

Maul ignited his blade as did Savage and for a couple brief seconds, Sidious stood there with no fear or worry. Then he withdrew two lightsabers, one from each hand and ignited them as well and positioned himself to begin fighting. Maul nodded to Savage and proceed to charge at Sidious who ran past him and spun in a manner that saw the tips of his blades scraping the ground. This also forced Maul to jump diagonally over the old man and occasionally parry a stroke from one of the blades.

When Savage joined the fray, Sidious managed to ready his blades into a defensive position and just in time to intercept a blow from both brothers. As their blades remained crossed, Maul could hear his former Master laughing and see him smiling beneath the hood whose darkness masked his eyes. _What's got him so damned happy about this?_ Maul asked silently, frustrated and annoyed by it. Before he had time to think further, Savage brought up the other side of his saber to push the trio out of the crossing and forcing Sidious to give way.

This was completed when Sidious first dodged the blade which collided with one of his sabers and Maul's and propelling himself in a forward-moving backflip. Maul charged at the old man again and tried overwhelming with Juyo though this would ultimately be to no avail. Sidious' Jar'Kai soon forced the brothers into the very same passage that Bo-Katan and her Night Owls had used to escape Maul. The irony of this was something that none of the Sith Lords noticed nor would have cared for if they did but Maul had Savage retreat a few steps so as to force Sidious down the hallway.******  
**

When his apprentice obeyed this commandment, they both pounded the most punishing attack they could deal Sidious who was not good at using Jar'Kai in tight spaces such as this small hallway. But even with that disadvantage, the old man did manage to put up a good fight as the brothers forced him unto the balcony from whence Almec had been thrown to his death before his malcontent people. Here, Sidious managed to regain some of that space he needed and also managed to force Maul unto one of the ledges after a brief exchange of blows. And just before Sidious was going to do anything else after Maul dodged his attempt at a stab, Savage charged from in the hallway and knocked him off.

Of course, this attack did catch the older Sith Lord off guard and Maul had to admit it was kind of clever. But he did not have long to celebrate this stroke of genius as Sidious used the Force to pull them both off the balcony with him. The brothers fell and when the trio had landed on their feet on the floor below, Savage immediately tried to stab Sidious uptop his head. However, Sidious dodged this and was about to cut Savage's head off when the younger warrior ignited his second blade.

Maul observed this and attempted use it as a distraction for striking down Sidious but the old man saw this and used one of his blades to defend against Maul's. Then Sidious forcibly pushed them both off him and kicked Maul in the chin to force him back from him even further than he already was. As Sidious tried to slash down Maul in opposite directions, Savage pulled his blade free of the ground and twirled it so that the bottom blade would cut into Sidious' back had it succeeded in that purpose. But the Dark Lord noticed this and swung one blade over his back to deflect this and came around with another blade to try and cut Savage's throat to no avail.

However, Sidious came short on this and kicked Savage away from him as well. Shortly after that, Maul attempted to kick him back with jump to the air and a launch of one of his feet. Unfortunately, Sidious also dodged this by leaning back far enough to do so and replied with another backflip that propelled him forward rather than backward. When he landed on his feet again, he spun himself in a full circle and pointed his blades at both of the brothers.

Maul replied to this by extending his blade out in front of himself in a classic ready stance as Sidious briefly spun his wrists to signal his readiness to continue. But from Maul's perspective, Savage must have noticed the diagonal behind Sidious because he jumped over him and planted himself on it. Seeing an excellent opportunity with this, Maul once again tried to sever Sidious' head only for his blade to be swatted away by one of Sidious'. In a desperate and futile gesture, Maul then tried to punch Sidious directly in the face though this missed him by a long shot.

Not only did Sidious backflip to dodge it but he also manage to kick Savage in the chest hard enough to send him flying onto another flat platform. When Sidious righted himself up again, he briefly sighed in a manner that told Maul he had managed to strain his aged enemy. Since he was not one to hesitate on such an opportunity, he leapt toward his former Master with intent to strike him down. But Sidious was ready for this and used the Force to hurl Maul into the wall behind him, blacking him out.

After this happened, Savage recovered from the blow he had also received and bravely tried to fight their enemy alone. He spun and twirled with his blade though, like a cat with a mouse, Sidious briefly blade around before reactivating his blades which he had shut down during his brief strain. When he did, both of his blades came into contact with both of Savage's and they held it there for seconds. Then Sidious kicked him away and diagonally jumped with a spin at Savage, who barely managed to escape it since the blade tips were facing him during this jump.

Desperately trying to keep up by spinning himself around, the closest Savage came to a good hit was when one of his blades nearly bisected Sidious from behind yet again. But like the previous attempt, Sidious merely arched his back so that his blades could intercept this blow. Then he pushed in a manner that allow him to escape the crossing and strike a deflected blow towards Savage's faces. During this chaotic fighting, Maul managed to recover from being thrown against the wall though he was still dizzy.

Thus, he watched helplessly as Savage continued to bravely hack and slash with spins and twirls of his blade to no avail. He did manage to get another crossing of both his blades for a couple brief seconds but that was before defeat came and claimed Savage as a prize. When Savage tried to hack diagonally down from the right, Sidious kicked him his armpit hard enough to squeeze a vain. This sent a headrush into Savage that made him dizzy and helpless for seconds Sidious was quick to exploit.

As Maul watched in aghast horror, Sidious turned his blades backwards then plunged them into Savage's chest. Maul observed as the spark of life almost entirely left Savage's eyes in that moment and Sidious smiled in enjoyment of having successfully killed Savage Opress. He even heard Sidious laugh as he impaled Savage and just as quickly yanked the blades back out. Before Maul started running toward Sidious for an attack, the Dark Lord hurled Savage away from him with the Force.

A split second was what Maul was given to make a decision between proceeding with the duel or going to his dying brother and it was all he needed. He ran past Sidious who allowed him to do so and jumped down to where his brother had landed in his Force-propelled fall. Where Sidious had struck Savage, Maul noticed green magic emanating and knew it was more of Talzin's work. Holding his brother's mechanical hand, Maul watched as the magic wrapped itself around Savage and left.

Along the way, it began shrinking Savage and even dissolving his Sith robes until he was wearing naught but the traditional loincloth of a Nightbrother. But as this transformation occurred, Savage spoke and his final words would haunt Maul for the rest of his own final minutes. "Brother, I am an unworthy apprentice. I'm not like you... I never was," Savage said then his life ended.

His head plopped back down to the ground and his eyes rolled in a manner Maul knew all too well to be associated with death. Briefly, Maul mourned his brother's demise as Sidious laughed and at that moment, his sadness began to turn to hate. This was especially so after Sidious stated, "Remember the first and only reality of the Sith: there can only be two and you are no longer my apprentice." Maul's anger rose forth and so close to the surface that he was literally shaking with rage and snarling silently.

Then Sidious truly pissed him off when he said that Maul had been replaced as the Zabrak knew there was only person that could've done that: the Sith imposter Dooku! It was in that moment that Maul knew there was only one thing left for him to do, he had to murder the man who raised him. Savage would have wanted it, Sidious had long discarded and replaced Maul rather than bothered to find and fix him, and it would be a damn good means to prevent the old man's plans from succeeding. That was when he managed to surprise Sidious by reigniting his deactivated blade and then taking his brother's double-sided one for use in the final battle against Sidious.

He knew this would most definitely catch Sidious off guard as Maul had no formal instruction from him in this technique but he had learned it from others. The exchange of blows that followed carried the mark of being in Maul's favor for several long minutes. Even the abnormal bending that Sidious could do to deflect a blade was barely enough to keep up with this style. Spinning his brother's blade around and hacking or slashing with his own, he knew if he kept this up he would defeat Sidious.

But Sidious caught him off guard with another kick though he managed to backflip twice and right himself just in time to intercept a blow from one of Sidious' blades. The exchange continued with more hacks and slashes than spins and twirls (as per the traditional design of the chaotic Juyo). However, Maul soon made the mistake of returning a kick to Sidious that was hard enough to send him spinning in the air until he landed several meters away from him. Letting his ego and his anger consume him, Maul watched as his Master prepared to slide under him for a final go.

But slashing down with both of his blades, he managed to pin Sidious in a crossing of blades so that the older Sith was kneeling before Maul. For several long seconds, this final cross of blades lasted until Sidious managed to upright himself once more. He allowed Maul to push his left hand back with his right hand but returned the favor for the left hand which had the double-bladed saber. Maul knew he was defeated and most likely going to be killed when Sidious pushed his right hand to the right of himself.

This motion subsequently brought the loose blade of the saberstaff from below Maul's legs, severing them above the knee. In rapid succession, it also cut off his right arm close to the shoulder which caused his original blade to drop from his use along with the hand that held it. Maul fell on his face and tried to recover though he had only his left arm now but Sidious was quick to stop him. Using the Force, Sidious levitated Maul and brought him back down hard before also throwing him against a wall.

After those tugs of telekinesis, Sidious threw Maul back towards his feet in position for a round of Force lightning. Maul knew this from previous experience with having been defeated by Sidious as a child and began to beg for mercy, traumatized by those memories. "There is no mercy," the Dark Lord said just before letting off a round of painful electricity from his fingers. When he finished, he let Maul writhe and recoil, doing his best to recover from the pain of it though his metal lower half conducted it.

This meant that the pain of his previous experiences was now amplified thanks to the reaction of metal towards electricity, intensifying his heartbeat until it almost collapsed altogether. "Before I destroy you, tell me: did you really think I came all this way to reclaim you as my apprentice? Did you really think that I would have accepted your formation of a power base by which to fight your enemies?" Sidious asked. When Maul managed to recover, though he was still panting from the exertion the pain of the lightning and the fighting were suddenly beginning to exert on him, he made his reply.

"I don't understand," he lied through his teeth. He did understand and either Sidious saw this or didn't really care as he zapped Maul again. "Remember what I taught you boy: if you were to have your own apprentice, your own allies, and your own base while still under me you would've betrayed me. To take you back in after your failure by itself might not have been so bad but with this?

"With all this that you have built, I can never again have you as my apprentice or my servant," Sidious explained. As Maul would helplessly observe, Sidious must have though that the lightning was not enough as he once again threw him against the wall with telekinesis as well as the floor below. He pulled him back over for another round of Force lightning which he delivered quickly and efficiently. Maul could do nothing except cry out in agony as the lightning wrapped and coiled itself around him like a long, thin snake that caused pain at the touch of its blue-white skin.

_He's going to kill me, he's actually going to finish me off and there is nothing I can do to stop it_ Maul thought to himself. "Do not worry, I am going to kill you but your skills will not go to waste, Lord Maul," Sidious said, as if reading his thoughts. "What the _hell_ is that supposed to mean, old man?" Maul asked. If he was dead, there was no way Sidious could ever hope to use his skills for any part of his plans.

"When my plans succeed, I will have the apprentice I desire over you and over Dooku but even this one may fail after my dreams succeed. I need you there to be able to take his place should he fail as my apprentice but I cannot have you being a loose cannon against me," Sidious said. And as he spoke, he pulled out a device that Maul only knew to be an extractor of some sort. Was it an extractor of his blood and if so, was Sidious planning on making a- was there a better word?- copy of Maul?

"Your doppelganger will be more useful to me than you would be if I had accepted your offer to ally with me once more. Especially if it is genetically unaltered so as to suit the longevity of its purpose and the training required," Sidious said. This answered Maul's questions in a heartbeat and he knew his time would come to an end. However, a small part of him would live on in this clone so long as it lived under Sidious' shadow.

However, he himself intended to live through this if he could and in defiance of what Sidious would undoubtedly do to kill him, he grabbed his old saber again. Igniting the blade, he used it to intercept another volley of Force lightning. "I've taught you well Maul but unfortunately, as I said before, you have become a rival and like any other rival... you have to be destroyed," Sidious stated. "Fuck you then!" Maul shouted as he called Savage's saber back to his hand and ignite both blades.

Instead of trying to fight with it, he threw it at Sidious' with the Force and hoped that it would strike some part. "Hmm, your will to live has proven great enough to be programmed into the clone when I start creating it. Nonetheless, you still must die before I can bring you back for my ultimate design," Sidious replied as he dodged the flying blade with ease. Then he hammered Maul with Force Lightning but this time, he did not stop after a few seconds as he had done before.

During this time, Maul observed the entirety of his life flashing before his eyes as was custom for all close to death. His training under Sidious, the scars that he developed from that, the deeds he had done with the assistance of this training all zoomed past his vision as his adopted father slowly killed him. All that time, he suddenly realized that he had often wondered where his mother had been whenever Sidious so horrendously tortured him as he did now. All he could remember of the woman was a vision of her face and a lullaby that she would hum whenever he was crying as an infant.

Each and every time Sidious hurt him beyond normal healing, he would simply close his eyes and imagine his mother was standing beside him and humming the lullaby again. Her voice was sweet and tender like the blumfruit treats he occasionally managed to sneak when Sidious wasn't looking. Smirking slightly under that memory, he was surprised Sidious didn't notice and continued to hammer him down with lightning. Then he got to the part where he faced down the demons born of his deeds related to the Jedi and their precious little Order.

He enjoyed the memory of having killed several, including Master Qui-Gon Jinn, before briefly becoming angry at Kenobi. It was Kenobi who had sparked Maul's determination to the point it had reached, allowing it to accumulate into the Takeover of Mandalore and this duel with Sidious. His years on Lotho Minor zoomed by him as there wasn't much to remember of those years besides the lunacy. Though the snake Morley had helped him survive, he could hardly consider that gangly creature a friend though he was about the closest thing on Lotho that Maul could hope to have gotten.

Then Savage came into his memories, the times they had spent rampaging across the galaxy. _I truly did care about you brother though I never let it show_ Maul thought to himself. The memories of Savage also zoomed by and Maul found himself lacking any regret over the course of life. Except perhaps that he had not listened to Kenobi and heard him out about his family origins._ For once Jedi, you were in the right and I wasn't_ Maul thought as the blackness of death finally eclipsed all vision he had. The spark of life that had fueled Maul was now gone and with one last sigh, he passed away.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen**

Thanks to the Force and the Kashi Mer Talisman, Arden knew that Savage and Maul had fallen before the might of Lord Sidious on Mandalore. She also knew that Savage was the first to fall and as such, immediately began transferring Savage's power into Depa as that would be easiest for Arden. The Talisman lit up in response to the chanted incantations that Arden recited to it with telepathy eight beams of green energy scattered in all directions. That was before Arden's chants brought them into one focused beam straight at Depa's chest and shot balls of whitish-light green light at her.

The balls were focused bits of Savage's power and at first, Arden had a little conflict bringing the power into order seeing as Savage was transformed from one form into the one she knew. This also confused her because when she took the power from his spirit, all she was left with was a normal man. Normal of course, for a Dathomiri Zabrak in height, body tone, with his fighting prowess being the only thing that stood out about him. _Are these midichlorians artificial implants of Mother Talzin or had they just been dormant in him until she transformed him into the beast I knew?_ Arden asked quietly.

_ All the sons of Kycina of Dathomir are Force-Sensitive, it's just Maul was the first one to discover his power and the only one to succeed in refining it_ the Talisman answered. That definitely did explain a lot of things, Arden knew this so she didn't press the matter further. The transfer was slow so as to give Arden time to adjust to the conditions of the ceremony that she was conducting. But finally, when she did succeed, she told her apprentice to check her bloodstream again to see the results.

Then she went back into the trance to conduct the ceremony on herself although this would be much more extensive than doing it to her apprentice. _I demand a portion of this transferred power in order to allow you to be able to conduct the ceremony on yourself. The only reason I let you conduct it on your apprentice is because there is no demand on you or me_ the Talisman warned. _You will give me the power regardless of what you wish for yourself_ Arden hissed.

The Talisman warned that it would not be so easy to fight its will and asked how else it was that Xendor sometimes had fits of raving madness after using it too much._ As if that isn't bad enough, why else do you think his physical toll wasn't exactly the best towards the end of his life?_ it asked her. Arden's hand clenched until bone cracked when she heard that about her husband who had been the dream of her old life. _Oh yes Arden Lyn, your husband was not quite as perfect as you thought he was._

_ I only let you think of him as perfect because it would satisfy my need to slowly heal your madness from the realization that he is long dead. Now that you are healed as best a pawn of mine can be from such a revelation, allow me to reveal the truth of your beloved man Xendor. Yes, you are innocent of your so-called crimes and the Jedi did you a valid injustice but that cannot be said for him. In fact, though Loki the Destroyer was not exactly the best means for it to be done or the cleanest, the Jedi did your husband far more justice in his fate than you._

_ When those first Jedi imprisoned you all those years ago, as written in the will of the Chronicler, out of pity for you. You fervently followed a cause that was doomed but you did so not because of your greed and selfishness but because of love for Xendor_ the Talisman said, mocking her. _Enough, what does Xendor have to do with the power with you exacting a price from me?_ she asked. _That can be explained with two words: your innocence; reason being that it makes you far more gullible._******  
**

_I deliberately let you think you could just demand power from me and expect it to be used for your purpose. Now, I will extract the full price which shall be Lord Maul's midichlorians and possibly your life depending on how much you fight me_ the Talisman said. During this conversation, Depa noticed the Talisman's light blinking almost sporadically and Arden recoiling her head in pain. She almost wanted to stop her Mistress from continuing with the ceremony as she guessed it was fighting.

However, she wanted to be sure that it was fighting her before she did anything though she would regret having done nothing. _Xendor was hardly any fun in regards to his gullibility and knew from the get-go that I extracted a price thanks to his family lineage. However, you were new and unaccustomed to the way of the Talisman which was a celebrated advantage of my creator's line. I was counting on blind dependence such as yours to make my plans for longevity succeed for in the longevity, my creator's spirit survives_ the Talisman continued. _So you used Xendor as your first pawn in this plan and you decided to include me as your next just because you want to survive?_ Arden asked.

_Xendor was not my first, more like my one hundred twenty-seventh since my original creator but yes_ it answered. Hundred twenty-seventh? Had it really been one hundred twenty-seven generations by the time of Xendor since this artifact's creation? But this gave her a revelation: the Talisman was not acting on its own sentience, its Master was still in it.

_You are Kashi Mer trapped in an artifact until such time as you can possess a soul and escape from the artifact. If you were to do that, you would be omnipotent and far more so than you already are_ she said. _Your insight serves you well, yes I am Kashi Mer trapped in a Talisman from which power can be withdrawn for personal use. But I grow tired of being a genie for those who possess the Talisman_ the voice of the Talisman admitted.

_Then why do you need Maul's power if you are already omnipotent without it?_ Arden asked. _Ah, the gullible little girl is finally learning. The sacrifice of another Force user is what I need to transfer my consciousness onto the soul of someone or something living. Maul's life is the sacrifice and you are the body I will transfer my soul into_ Kashi Mer answered. Arden knew she needed to stop this from happening and as such, began to make destructive pushes of telepathy toward the Talisman.

Unfortunately, this provoked it into striking back at her harder than she had ever been able to hit it herself. But Arden Lyn was never known for quitting and struck back with her full fury, exhausting her body and her mind as she did so. Depa saw the signs of a struggle and knew there was nothing she could do now. This was especially confirmed when she decided to attempt to cut the Talisman in pieces only for it to deflect her blow and repel her away from it.

_If you survive, you will do good to tell your apprentice to never interfere in your affairs with me again_ Kashi Mer warned. _Oh not to worry asshole, you won't even need to worry about whether I tell her or not!_ Arden replied. Then she summoned enough energy to nearly tear Kashi Mer's spirit from the Talisman though it exhausted her like hell to do that spell which required her all. She could hear her enemy straining and pulling with all his might to keep his soul bound to the Talisman for without it, he would be cast into oblivion.

_No, no, no, no! Without me, the Talisman has no power and loses its indestructibility. You will also lose the midichlorians you need from Darth Maul's soul!_ Kashi shouted._ Give them to me and I will not try to tear you out of your little shell again_ Arden ordered. _I cannot be controlled by a naive little girl who only exists because of my good grace!_ Kashi boomed.

Then he tried one last time to repel her and keep the midichlorians for himself but she fought back and even had her telepathic phantom bring up her sword for use. She conjured an energy blade which he had not expected to see in this confrontation and was so overwhelmed, he yielded. _The midichlorians are yours and I will never demand a price again_ he said when he finally did that. As promised, he yielded the midichlorians and the transfer was complete.

With that, the Talisman died down and Arden Lyn awoke from her terrifying trance to find Depa Billaba hovering over her in fright. "Are you alright, Mistress?" she asked. "I'm fine, why would I be?" Arden asked. "Well your nose is bleeding for one thing and out of both nostrils; not to worry, it started just as you were awakening," Depa answered.

"Then what are you waiting for: extract some of the blood before I attend to it," Arden ordered. Depa smirked at the genius of her Mistress and did as she was told to do by her. After that, a Sorcerer came and healed the bloodied nose down to having the lost blood raise itself back into her veins. However, the humor of the moment when Depa brought back the results and her face looked grim as could be.

"What is it from both of us?" Arden asked. "Before we conducted the ceremony, I had fourteen thousand and you had fifteen. Now that the transfer is complete... I have twenty-eight thousand and you have thirty thousand. Even with this transfer, you are still more powerful than I but now even more so," Depa answered.

"Don't you fret, my apprentice. I am mortal like you and unless I learn how the Jedi placed me in hibernation, I could never hope to avoid growing old and weak. That is, unless I am killed in combat during my youth which I hope never does happen," Arden said. "So that part of the Sith Codex is not one we will agree to?" Depa asked, her eyes lighting up with cheer.

"It's a stupid, trivial display of wanton power and anarchic deception anyway," Arden answered, placing a hand on Depa's shoulder as she spoke. Depa smiled and Arden also made the additional point that they would already be in violation of the Sith Rule of Two as it was. "Look at how we surround ourselves with the Sorcerers of Tund and the Ember of Vahla. We would be a more rogue version of the Jedi Order at best if we tried adhering to more Sith principles," Arden added.

It was in this moment that a Sorcerer of Tund who ranked just beneath the Nero brothers told her something she would never forget. "None of us Dark Side users have ever known compassion such as yours. Most will follow you better than they did their previous leaders because of it but there are those who feel the need to adhere to tradition rather than adapt to change. Be warned that this crowd may eventually become the undoing of all you desire to do if left unattended to," he said.

"Is everything ready for our trip to Yuuzhan Vong territory?" Arden asked. She wasn't ignoring this statement that the Sorcerer made and told him as much in her body language. However, there were more pressing concerns than a few staunch traditionalists in her new army. When she was answered, they were clear to go and Arden made the order for the jump which was obeyed immediately.******  
**

******Czulkang Lah had followed **Nom Anor to his private headquarters in the floating city of the Yuuzhan Vong and was baffled. Initially, he saw the sight of a typical Intendant residence back on the old homeworld of his people. However, when he came upon the lower levels, the scene changed from glamorous wealth to dark, danky laboratories. He even voiced as much to Anor who told him not to fret as it was perfectly normal for it to be a little confusing to most.

"That doesn't make me feel any more comfortable about this! You indicated that you knew something about Quoreal that I don't and I want to know now that we're safe!" Czulkang ordered. "Don't fret, I have not forgotten my promise to tell you what I mean or should I say, show you what I mean?" Nom Anor asked. Before Czulkang could inquire as to what he was talking about, Nom Anor did precisely that.

In a tube of liquid unlike any that Czulkang had seen in Yuuzhan Vong technology before, was the mutilated remains of Quoreal the previous Supreme Overlord. "What... what have you done, Nom Anor?" Czulkang demanded in a hushed whisper. "I have kept our true Supreme Overlord in a non-biomechanical design called suspended animation. With this, I can preserve the pulse of his heart even if it's very minimal but I do not have the means to restore him myself," Nom Anor answered.

"And why would you need him?" Czulkang inquired. "Easy, his return would spark the religious fanaticism of those who still hate Shimrra for what he did. Just because he rightfully usurped the throne from Quoreal, he did not do so in support of Yuuzhan Vong tradition. Nor would I have done that in his place, for that matter," Nom Anor explained.

"And I am guessing you're waiting for the day when someone comes along who can help you for your own purposes?" Czulkang asked. "No, not for my purpose but for the purpose of Yuuzhan Vong survival. Quoreal never invaded the galaxy because of the prophecy of a living planet besides our own which was actually found and dubbed 'Zonama Sekot' by our enemies," Nom answered.

"And Shimrra doesn't know this?" Czulkang asked. He too was a traditionalist and if Quoreal had indeed found the prophesied planet of Yuuzhan Vong destruction... The disaster waiting for the rest of the species was beyond measure in its significance. "You hope to restore Quoreal's reign and incite the longevity of our people?" Czulkang guessed.

"Indeed I do for without it, my own designs would all fall to ruin as well. And it would be too soon in the development of my plans for that to happen," Nom admitted. "So what do we do? Do we apply the artificial replacements we have and hope he can rally a crowd against Shimrra?" Czulkang asked.

"No, we will be patient in that regard. We can heal Quoreal's physical body if we acted quickly enough after taking him out of the tank but his mind is far too damaged for our technology. No, we need some of that magic that our enemies call 'the Force' in order to restore Quoreal's mind. Onimi has demonstrated proficiency in it and our people were connected to it millenniums ago.

"If what the legends about the Force can be trusted, it is both a subsistence provider and a destroyer of worlds. As such, it will be the best medicine we can hope to have to truly remedy Quoreal's cunning mind. By the way, you might want to check with your son on how he survived his crash on Irkalla. His story, assuming he tells you the truth, may give us a key to finding our healer," Nom answered.

"What has you so certain my son can be of help to us?" Czulkang demanded, suspicious of what Nom Anor wanted with his son. I_f he intends to groom him into his pawn, I will have none of it. In fact, he will die before the next snap of his fingers if that's his intention_ he thought, angrily. "Your son has more insight than anyone about how those attuned to the Force can use it for their benefit and/or the benefit of others; his input will be the most reliable we have ever had," Nom Anor replied.

"I will seek out his input but if he honestly has nothing, I will be sure to let you know that," Czulkang said after a moment of pause. There is no reason why that would be the case but fortune has given us worse hands if it's so Nom thought but didn't say. "Thank you for coming here but I need your promise you relate none of this to anyone except your son," he said aloud. Czulkang gave his inviolable word as Warmaster that he would do that and Anor let him go, smiling as he did so.

"Shall I send someone to follow him and make sure his son is the only one he tells, sir?" one of his servants asked. "No, let him be. He's already suspicious enough of my plans without adding a supposed paranoia upon that," Nom replied, shaking his head. _Plus, it would give him less compulsion to come back to me with the information his son has to offer_ he silently added.******  
**

**Tsavong Lah was not **expecting his father to be back from conferences as soon as he was. Thus, their home was not the tidiest when Czulkang did arrive from speaking with Anor. "Sorry father, had I expected you back so soon, I would have begun cleaning efforts quickly," he stated at the door. "No need to worry about that, I probably won't be here very long anyhow and you can have time to clean up," Czulkang said.

_ That's odd, he's usually very strict about that formality... Did Anor say something that gave him a reason to change this?_ Tsavong asked himself. "Son, I need to ask you: when you crashed on Irkalla: how were you able to escape?" Czulkang asked suddenly. At first, Tsavong was at a loss for words

Did he tell his father the truth about what happened with Arden Lyn or would he fabricate a story? He couldn't decide what was right and what wasn't, causing him to almost panic which his father could easily observe. "Just tell me the truth and tell it to me straight: Nom Anor has a plan that may make your story very beneficial," his father said. A benefit... to Nom Anor the untraditional Intendant benefitting from a tradition-raised Warmaster's son?

Under those circumstances, the decision was both swift and painless with no difficulty or hesitation. "To start off with, I'm surprised I managed to place myself in that situation in the first place," he admitted. His father chuckled at that and had to admit he could hardly blame his son for being surprised about that. "But to continue the story, I managed to land the ship in a manner that allowed everyone to survive and the ship remained very much intact except where it had been hit.

"I decided to try and see if I could make communications with one of your officers so as to get a rescue party organized. However, I was immediately met by a woman named Arden Lyn who was dressed from head to toe in black and carried a sword of some sort," he began. "Wait, a sword and not one of these?" Czulkang asked, indicating his staff. Tsavong shook his head and reminded his father that the amphistaff didn't exist in the enemy galaxy as far as the Yuuzhan Vong had determined.

His father nodded as the revelation hit him and he beckoned his son to continue with the story. "In my arrogance and impatience, I ordered my men to dispose of her while I ordered a rescue team. However, she dispatched them with almost no effort and soon, I was left to fight her myself. After a short duel, I myself was defeated and I begged her to end my life but she didn't," he continued.

Czulkang did admit he found it strange that a warrior such as this Arden Lyn would spare his life but he would have to delve into it further when he had time. "So she let you come back to me alive, why?" he asked suspiciously. "She said that her ally planned to ransom me to you and the Supreme Overlord in exchange for the peace we've already come to. I guess she did me a greater honor by sparing me and letting me leave than obeying her superior's orders," Tsavong answered.

_ Indeed, ransoming is never a good situation to be in if you're the victim_ Czulkang thought silently as his son concluded his story. But then the Warmaster asked Tsavong if he had seen anything unusual about how she fought and he nodded immediately. "She used an energy-based magic of some sort from her sword and I knew it to be only coming from her connection to the Force," Tsavong said. Anor was right: my son's story does have benefits for us and this Arden Lyn might be the answer to Quoreal's damage mind Czulkang thought but didn't say.

"Thank you son, you have done well to attempt to keep our name honorable. I can forgive your failure to defeat Arden Lyn with this knowledge and permit you your life," Czulkang confessed. "Thank you father, you are wise as you are generous and I assure you I will train so I never fail again," Tsavong said. "Even the best of us fail from time to time, it's a matter of how we act in the face of a failure in proportion to its severity that determines our future," Czulkang replied. With that, he left his son to resume training and actually decided to go back to Anor while the story was fresh in his mind.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**

For Obi-Wan Kenobi, the sight of Coruscant had never been so relieving for as long as he could remember. Though he had to identify himself to Republic Intelligence, that was not difficult and soon, he and Satine were landing on a pad near the Jedi Temple. At this point, Satine decided to immediately go and see if she could find the Chancellor. "He will need to know what has happened on Mandalore first and foremost of anyone, including the Senate," she added.

"Much as I wish it were otherwise, I have to agree with you there, my darling. The Jedi and the Senate were of no help to us but perhaps he might. We'll go after I tell Master Skywalker what happened to his ship," he replied in agreement. "He's not going to be happy about that," she warned with a giggle.

"True but it's his fault it got into the condition that cost me its existence, not mine," she said with a smile. He kissed her on the cheek quickly and she blushed like a teenage girl with a crush at that while he went to the entrance of the Jedi Temple alone. "You look good as a Mandalorian, too bad you didn't bring my ship back intact," Anakin stated when he met Kenobi at the interest. "Hey, you said it was perfectly fine but it sputtered, broke down, and was so slow it was no wonder it was destroyed," Obi-Wan replied.

"So did you find out who was helping Death Watch and if they were acting alone?" Anakin inquired. "Yes and Death Watch wasn't acting alone: Darth Maul and his criminal allies were with him. Along the way back, however, I sensed a dark presence headed for Mandalore that literally eclipsed the auras of Maul and Savage. I wonder what it could be," Obi-Wan said with a nod. "Should I inform the Council of these revelations?" Anakin asked.

"Go ahead and do that, yes. I'll go with Satine to see if the Chancellor is available and can call for a special session of Congress to hear her out about the Mandalore situation," Obi-Wan answered. Anakin nodded and ascended back up the Temple while Obi-Wan went back to meet the former Duchess of Mandalore.

"I suppose you'll be wanting someone else to take lead of the League of Two Thousand now that Mandalore has fallen. Do you have a nomination already?" he asked when he returned to her. "Yes, Senator Amidala would be my vote for the leadership of the League of Two Thousand. She is a good friend and has a good head on her shoulders, capable of leading the League in my place," she answered.

"And where will you go once you retire?" he continued. "Perhaps to Zanbar, perhaps Malastare, who knows? I've been so free since the days before I met you all those years ago," she replied. "That's comforting to know," he said sarcastically.

"Hey, I didn't mean it in an insulting way at all. It's just ever since you left, I've had to really forsake my own desire for fun in favor of the greater good. Much like a Jedi might," she assured him. "And you wonder why I could never come back to you and why I did try to move on for a time to find that I just couldn't," he said.

"That's something I'm beginning to discover myself though for how my life was before I became Duchess of Mandalore. Before I took the responsibility of my lineage, I was a loose cannon even compared to my older and younger sister. I used to be one of those adventurous girls who would be out late and come home trodding mud and sticks into the marble floor. Sometimes, I even came with scrapes although my mother's spankings made sure I didn't after a while.

"But how I became the serious, responsible woman that you reunited with, I will never know. Even so, there is at least one question that I can answer for myself or a multitude that I can give one answer to. Such as this for instance: how can you pick up the threads of an old life after so long away from it? How can you ever hope to find normality after everything you thought to be normal about your existence is taken from you?******  
**

"See, that's the thing my dearest love: you can't. How do you know that you can even improve what you can reclaim of your old life and make it better? You don't... a Day of the Red Sun has fallen on Mandalore and while the rest of the galaxy may not care, I do. While the rest of the Republic is too busy waging war with its Separatist enemies, neutral systems are left powerless and victimized.

"Mandalore serves, if anything, as a great example of what can happen to many neutral systems left alone by both the Jedi and their Sith enemies. I am grateful you saved my life, I always will be, but there are times when some that live deserve to die and many who die deserve life. Perhaps, what I mean to say is when we were first beginning our escape I wondered if you should've let me die. But now, I know better and I am eternally indebted to you for your courage, Master Jedi," she agreed.

"Do not be afraid for what lies ahead Satine. I will be there to guide you whenever you need me or to be a part of your future for at least a brief moment in time," he said. By this time, they were almost at the building leading to the Chancellor's office having walked while talking. However, since they were alone and there were no recording devices at the entrance, they went to a corner besides the hallway.

Here, Obi-Wan and Satine shared a kiss for the first time since they were teenagers working together to build up the pacifist government called the New Mandalorians. As they kissed, they took notice of the shooting stars that passed by in the perfect starlit sky of Coruscant. "What did you wish for?" Obi-Wan asked, smiling down at Satine. "That after I make my request to the Chancellor, you and I share one night together as we did in the old days," Satine answered, giggling back up at him.

"My darling, your wish will be granted," he said as he passionately united his lips with her own. They held the kiss there for several long seconds and then, their need to see the Chancellor overwhelmed their desire to see each other in the night. However, they would not forget Satine's wish upon a shooting star to share the night together. Because of this, their pace was faster in arriving to the Chancellor's office all while trying to contain their feelings for each other as much as possible.

Disappointment met them at the door to his office when Mas Amedda told them that the Chancellor was offworld on "official business". "When will he return from this official business?" Satine asked. Kenobi also wanted to know since the Chancellor had last indicated nothing of being offworld for any reason, least of all, official business. "He did not disclose when he would be back but I am confident he will not be long," Mas replied.

"Very well, perhaps it would be best for us to try again in a day or two," Obi-Wan said. Before Satine could push the matter, he told her not to. "Besides that, the night is still young if you know what I mean," he whispered into her ear when they were out of Mas' sight. "You behave yourself, you little wolf," she said as she grabbed his buttocks.

Smirking and raising his eyebrows, he asked what that was for. "You'll see soon enough, my Jedi Knight," she answered. "I'll see if Senator Amidala can get you a room on the lower levels of her apartment, by now she'll know you're here and will probably be eager to welcome you to her home," he said. "Fine by me: better to be with a friend and the man of my dreams than be deprived of both forevermore," she said.

"You're acting just like you did when we were teenagers all those years ago. Now I know why I missed you so much," he said with a smile. "Oh shut up and get me over to Padme's apartment you bloody fool," she teased. He ordered a cab and then called Padme to make sure it was alright for the Duchess to stay with her until she was ready to find a permanent residence.

The Senator excitedly approved and said that her guards would await the two of them with a room ready for her. _Does she suspect our feelings for each other? Is there someone who she loves herself?_ Obi-Wan asked himself at her reaction. He dismissed it after he noticed the way Satine reacted when Padme said that they were welcome to stay.

It was probably just a girl thing or it could've been that Padme noticed the big bump in the crotch of his trousers. _Now that would be embarrassing if she did notice it. Do I have it all the time or just when I'm around Satine? If the latter, very embarrassing indeed_ Obi-Wan thought to himself.

But when he arrived, it had shrunk enough to where the women would make nothing of it even if they did notice it which was fine by him. "Master Kenobi, Duchess Satine, it's always a pleasure to have either or both of you visiting!" Padme exclaimed when they arrived. She jumped into a group hug and squeezed the lovers tightly though it was obvious she didn't know they were in love."Any possessions my guards need to help with?" Padme asked.

"No but is it alright to request a fresh set of robes and a bath? I stink of battle and so does Obi-Wan though he's probably used to it," Satine teased. Obi-Wan sniffed his arm briefly and had to admit that she was right about the stink of battle. "For once, I think I'll also request a bath from the residence of Padme Amidala," he admitted.

"You are both most welcome," Padme said reassuringly. Both Jedi and Duchess took their bath to remove the stains of war and misery. When they did, both obtained separate rooms but noticed that there was a connecting restroom. But when the night was still and not a creature stirred, Obi-Wan snuck across the connecting restroom.

There, they did not waste a minute of the pitch blackness of the night, acting out on Satine's wish. Not since the mission with Qui-Gon had Obi-Wan been so close and intimate with Satine Kryze nor she with him. Reminiscing those days, they enjoyed the entwinement of their bodies with all the energy and pleasure of the youth. And when it was done, Obi-Wan did the best he could to quietly sneak back into his room before Padme or her guards noticed.******  
**

******Bo-Katan had been fighting **on Mandalore for days without break nor an end in sight. Since Duchess Satine and Kenobi had escaped, Bo's pregnancy had not affected her fighting much. If anything, it seemed to act as an improvement. Most likely, her maternal instincts (which she was feeling for the first time in her life) helped with that seeing as she needed to protect her child.

Finally, after the days since Maul had ordered Death Watch to wipe out the Night Owls, Death Watch was on the retreat. Those who remained took what starfighters they could and fled to Concordia before then dispersing across the galaxy. For those civilians who survived the fighting, coming out of their homes and unlocking their doors was no easy task. But when the Night Owl soldiers went around and confirmed that the nightmare was over, the people were soon at ease.

It was after this that Bo-Katan announced the deception of Prime Minister Almec, sparking an applause as many were suspicious of treachery on Almec's part. They did not believe that Vizsla would ever side himself with a corrupted official of Satine's New Mandalorian government. On top of that, they wondered why the Death Watch soldiers would paint themselves red like the leader of the thugs. But when Bo-Katan confessed that the thugs' attack on Mandalore was a con on the part of Pre Vizsla, the people demanded to know why.

"Like his father Tor before him, Pre dreamt of the day when Mandalore would be restored to the glory it held in the days before Darth Revan. He hoped that we would become the feared warriors who nearly conquered the galaxy, allowing for us to stand up for ourselves in this frightening Clone War. I will see to the realization of his dream but not by the same means he would nor will I return us to the pacifism of my sister Satine," Bo said to answer their questions. She had been expecting an uproar at the knowledge that Satine was Bo's sister but there was none, probably because it was well-known.

When one member of the audience asked her if she would puppeteering anyone as Maul and Savage had done with Almec, she shook her head no. "Yes there will be a Prime Minister but no they will not be as weak-minded as Almec was. In fact, the Prime Minister I select for you will be stronger, faster, and smarter than Almec ever could be or would wish to be," she answered. She knew she was answering honestly and the people must've known it too for they applauded her reply to the question.

_ Vizsla might not agree with my means but we cannot always cling to tradition. Call me a hypocrite but unlike Vizsla, my hypocrisy would be a necessity of survival. I do not completely forsake the traditions of old, only the parts that would ruin our rebuilding process_ she told herself. "We will begin our rebuild of Mandalore by first patching up the buildings that are not too badly damaged from the battle.

"After that, we will reconstruct everything that has been destroyed from scratch. When Mandalore's buildings and constructs have been restored, training will begin. As my first act as ruler of Mandalore, I am declaring a state of martial law: everyone eligible shall be trained to fight. We will need an army to rebuild Mandalore's military interests and insure its future neutrality," she said.

"What if the Republic or the Separatists don't bother us during our reconstruction?" a civilian asked. "Then we'd be damned lucky but I know one of them is going to bother us. Death Watch will try to strike back again before we're done, that is for certain. Worse, they will come back with reinforcements to finish what their last Masters started with their orders," Bo answered.

The people agreed with this but another civilian had one final question for Bo that would test her sincerity. "If we were to believe a word you said, how fast could we count on training beginning when the reconstruction is finished? On top of that, how fast could we expect reconstruction to begin if the Republic or the Separatists were soon to invade Mandalore?" the civilian asked. "That depends on when the invasion would happen: if it happened real soon, we would do our best to keep you sheltered," Bo answered.

"Sheltered? Why?" the same civilian continued. "If you fought against the Republic, they would surely kill you. We will try to make it so that even we give way and direct them to the Death Watch soldiers, that way we can focus on training you for combat; I realize this sounds cowardly but even we do not have infinite supplies or manpower," she replied.

The people applauded, letting her know that she had passed her test and would allow her to begin immediately. Okay, now I will begin ruling my people and hopefully my heir lives long enough to benefit from this. I'd hate to have the same luck as my sister before the end of my life Bo thought to herself. However, as it would turn out, Bo-Katan's reign would last independently for one year before she decided it was time to be off with the Night Owls again.

Her work on Mandalore, nonetheless, allowed it to eventually be restored to its full glory by the adopted son of Jango Fett, known as Boba. For thirty-three years after her departure, Bo-Katan would fight against evil and corruption wherever she found it with her Night Owls. Dying only by the overwhelming number of stormtroopers in the Galactic Empire, Bo-Katan was remembered as a Healer. But her twin son and daughter by Pre Vizsla would be remembered as some of the greatest disappointments in Mandalorian history, however.******  
**

**After dispatching the **Zabrak brothers, Sidious immediately reported to Kamino where he had secret dealings with the cloners. While the Clone Wars themselves continued on to the end he foresaw, he would slowly groom the clone of his former apprentice to suit his purposes... Just as the original warrior had once done twelve years ago before Obi-Wan had sliced him in half in Theed. Let this one be unaltered like Jango's adopted son Boba had been, let this one train slowly as its source did.

One of Maul's hallmarks of success had been that he had had plenty of time to train before he was assigned on his missions. _This clone would do no different nor would this clone be expected to do any less than its source of origin did. The clone shall still be more than a conforming hitman who will do my bidding from the shadows: he is my contingency plan._

_ After all, the apprentice I seek might turn out to be a disappointment or fail to kill Lord Tyranus in a final battle. There is no harm in being prepared for when such failures, though uncommon, should happen_ Sidious thought to himself. Now that he looked back on what he had done on Mandalore, he was beginning to wish he had cloned Savage as well.

Both brothers would have been useful to him as Maul's brother, though flawed compared to Maul himself, was very skilled. Very few could brag about killing a powerful member of the Jedi Council such as Master Adi Gallia. Fewer still could say they had held their own against Obi-Wan Kenobi with very little training and live to tell about it. Then there was the rare exception of those with very little training holding against both Kenobi and Skywalker as Savage had.

Though Dooku was powerful enough to do the very same with relative ease, he had required years of training in lightsaber combat. Savage had merely had weeks at most when he went toe to toe with those two Jedi. However, Maul was currently his most ideal apprentice but that would change soon enough. By the end of the war, Sidious would have all his prizes delivered on a gold platter for him to enjoy forevermore.

The Jedi Order was already more than prepared for their departure from this galaxy and into the realm of the dead, they just didn't know it yet. "Now correct me if I am not mistaken but you want an unaltered clone of this specimen?" Lama Su asked. "Yes and make no mistake, I will see to his development personally as I did with the source of this sample. If I find anything that remotely hints at a difference, I will ask for other copies to be made and acceleration only to be used as an emergency," Sidious answered.

"Understood, your demand will be met in time for whatever schemes you have in store for the specimen. Growing it should be no challenge as we grow millions of clone by the day with more well on the way. Tell me, is there anything else you request of our services or is this the only thing you have for now?" Lama asked. "No, that will be all for now: I must return to Coruscant before the Jedi start to ask questions about my mysterious absence," he answered.

He even added that his ally, Mas Amedda, had already reported Kenobi and Duchess Satine Kryze asking for him. _Likely, something related to what has happened on Mandalore but not worry. An invasion force will be sent as per their request but not with the intent to kill when it can be avoided_ Sidious told himself. He needed as many Mandalorians alive as possible for yet another design in his plan.

Their skills were useful as Maul had observed during his time with Pre Vizsla and the Death Watch. They would prove useful again if he made room in his new galaxy to accommodate their fighting skills. But he didn't want to settle on just making room for them: if he could, he would recruit them as part of the army that would maintain and control his Empire. After all, who better to initiate a reign of terror than the descendants of those who fought in the Mandalorian Wars? He thought about all of this with a smile and had to admit that he could not satisfy all his designs and that might not be one of them; however, it couldn't hurt to try and see if the Mandalorian-Sith alliances of old could be restored, right?


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

When Chancellor Palpatine finally returned from his mysterious "official business" a special session of Congress was called to decide the fate of Mandalore. "You said that Mandalore was taking the road to pacifism and not back to its warrior ways. How can we trust that an invasion force will insure this if we were to believe you?" Mas Amedda asked. "Because in no way was I responsible for the revision: Death Watch allied themselves with criminal organizations to do that.

"I never intended make Mandalore anything short of the pacifist government I created and given an opportunity to do it again, I would not divert from that. Yes, I would change the things that didn't work with it but all in all, I would still be a woman of peace and not war. And if Death Watch were still to oppose me, I would make sure to take the means I have to crush them before they gained momentum. Paradoxical as that sounds, there is no other path I would rather go than the one I have already walked and the one I know I will walk," Satine answered passionately.

"Further idealist talk that can surely be remedied when placed in such a situation," Mas stated. "If you think my character can be broken so easily, you are wrong. I have dreamt of a peaceful and prosperous Mandalore since I saw my father struck down Tor Vizsla, Pre's father. My youngest sister took it on herself to avenge our father's death by learning the old ways.

"But my eldest had a dream that I would continue on when she died giving birth to my nephew who now is also dead. That dream was for the day when Mandalore's people would live in peace and unison, regardless of the differences of clan ideals. Orphaned at six years old, I was raised by my sister under those ideals and eventually came to realize something. When she died giving birth, I realized it was I who would complete her dream which I shared with her, it was what she would've wanted.

"The Jedi helped with that dream's realization but ultimately, it was I who not only made Mandalore a pacifist system but I also maintained its neutrality. Not once did the Republic invade my properties while I watched them even when the Senate and the Chancellor demanded one be initiated. Peace and plenty was achieved save for the occasional terrorist attacks from Death Watch and the reliance of the Black Market by my corrupted former Prime Minister Almec! But now, if you want to take this opportunity, you get your wish to send troops into a neutral system.

"At the same time, I can cleanse Mandalore of Death Watch and my remaining sister can bring in a new era for our people. After this is done, I have decided to retire from politics and all activities associated with it to go upon an exile. I failed to protect Mandalore from the deception of Death Watch and its criminal allies and am thus, unfit to regain it. In addition, my people think I'm dead thanks to Almec and the man who controlled him: a Sith Lord named Darth Maul.

"What makes this man so big a deal? I will tell you: he and his apprentice intend to take over the neutral systems surrounding Mandalore to form their own factor in the Clone Wars. As if the Separatists and the Republic had not done enough fighting, think of what a third faction would do!" Satine shouted. The Chancellor and Mas Amedda took a moment after a report apparently came in from Intelligence though what it could be, Satine had no idea until Palpatine spoke.

"It is with great reprieve, that I inform the members of the Senate that Darth Maul and his brother were reported as being killed on Mandalore. However, an investigation must be sent underway before I can approve of an invasion force: did Obi-Wan kill them out of revenge for Qui-Gon?" Palpatine said. "What!? No, Jedi don't kill in cold blood for one and for two, I was there and I left with him after he rescued me from Maul's clutches!" Satine screamed, hammering a fist on her podium.

"If only we could believe that, milady. There is not enough evidence to support the claim unless you have something to provide," Palpatine stated. "I do actually, a recording of when Kenobi and I were on board the ship we used to escape. It has his conversation with my sister Bo-Katan recorded and includes the part where my sister Maul will die without adding 'if he hasn't already'!" Satine snapped.

She immediately produced the recording, played back the part she mentioned and the Senate was aghast. "I know who did it: Darth Sidious! Who else would desire Maul's death due to the threat he presented in life?" Satine asked. More whispers as the Senate agreed that Sidious would have sensed his former apprentice though none knew the Dark Lord was in their threshold as they spoke.

"In light of this new information, the resolution to invade Mandalore must be renewed and put to another vote. Do we follow the request of the retiring Duchess as she leaves out our doors forever. Or do we leave Mandalore to rot after transferring leadership of the League of Two-thousand to Naboo?" Palpatine asked. The voting was quick after that and the majority were in favor of invading Mandalore just for the sole sake of driving out the Death Watch.

"Chancellor, I thank you for this but before you send battalions, I would have you know that any troopers not painted red are your allies. Any who are will be the ones you destroy or arrest when you invade Mandalore," Satine stated when the voting was finished. "We will heed your advice but tell me, where do you plan to go now that you have officially retired?" Palpatine asked. "Senator Amidala has already agreed to set aside property in Lake country of Naboo," Satine answered.

She added that she would also withdraw all her unmarked credits and make them Republic credits. Her wealth from that would be such that she never had to work in any field again which would be most advantageous. "You will be missed, Duchess Satine and your involvement in the Republic will be missed," Palpatine said. _Considering the way your puppet Amedda and most of the Senate has spoken to me, I highly doubt that_ Satine thought though she thanked him for the compliment.

When she met up with Kenobi, she told him of the vote and told him of her decision to retire and go to Naboo. "The sooner I begin that new life we talked about, the better. Wouldn't you agree?" she asked. He nodded and added, "And thus, the part of Satine Kryze in the tale of the galaxy ends; very befitting the heroine of Mandalore if you ask me."

She giggled and replied, "True but the tale of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his lover has just begun. There is still much to be done for our story." "Perhaps after the war, when the Jedi are no longer Generals, there will be more," he said. They kissed each other goodbye then she ordered a shuttle for Naboo... but all the time, vowing never to forget Obi-Wan and how he saved her life out of love for her.******  
**

******After days of patient **waiting and rising suspense, General Grievous was finally going to be able to make a report to Count Dooku on his Kuat foundry mission. Since the failure at Mustafar, he had been more careful with how he approached the other factories. Not only had he commanded his forces from space but he had also ordered a space-to-surface assault of larger factories. Those that were smaller could be bombed to dust by vulture droids which made the strategy work just fine.

He never did return to deal with the Mustafarian factory simply because it was the most powerful and most fortified by the time his eyes did turn back to it. It intimidated him into refusing to go back there and simply admit he had tried it first and wasted over half his resources for one big failure. But therein lied the problem: if he gave a full and honest report, Dooku would probably fry him or lecture him. He decided it was worth the gamble since at least he didn't lose the lightsaber of Darth Zannah during the duel with Depa Billaba as Dooku had fear would happen.

"General, how did the Kuat droid foundry destructions go?" Dooku asked upon arrival. "We managed to destroy all but one milord: the very first one I targeted. Depa Billaba made it impossible for us to take if so long as she remained there. So instead, we focused on the other ones but when we were finished, the Mustafar factory was too heavily fortified for our dwindled resources.

"So I called off any attack on it and came back to make my report. All in all, not a complete failure although that one factory pumps out more droids than the others combined. Two to three million a standard week if demand is high enough. However, since Xizor is a businessman, he will not use these all for military purposes: he'll likely set aside droids for construction, pleasure houses, and other such duties.

"It would not make sense for a group of gangsters to try and go on galactic conquest just because they own one of the best droid factories in the galaxy. Strategically speaking that is but I could deliver in other ways that would make the report much longer," Grievous answered. He chose to leave out the details of his duel with Depa, feeling no need to tell but Dooku wouldn't let him have even that. "Tell me, was I right in my presumptions that Depa Billaba would miserably defeat you General?" he asked.

"Not miserably but you were right in your presumption that she would defeat me besides that," Grievous answered. "You are lying General, I can tell by the sound of your voice that you are attempting to deceive me. Did she really beat you that badly that you would do that, General?" Dooku mocked. "I do not deceive when I say she didn't, her use of Vaapad did catch me off guard for several short moments but I became accustomed enough to where my defeat was not ignoramus like you!" Grievous shouted.

"Watch your tongue with me, General!" Dooku shouted. To emphasize that he was the Master, he electrocuted the General with a few bolts of lightning. It was all it would take for the metal to conduct well enough to where it felt like he had sent more at him. "In the future General, you do good to deceive me on no account just as Quinlan Vos does when he delivers his reports to me," Dooku added after a moment.

_ Where is he, anyway? It has been too long since the last time he made a report and I did not send him on a difficult mission_ Dooku thought silently. _Too bad Dooku does not know the only reason Vos is successful is because of that stupid Force Cloak ability he has_ Grievous thought simultaneously. The General was dismissed after making his report and warned that another such catastrophic failure would not be tolerated.

"The only reason it is tolerated this time is because my Master went to Mandalore and disposed of the brothers on our behalf. Now that the Shadow Collective has been dispersed, it is safe to say your failure was not in vain," he added. "I understand, milord," Grievous said before leaving the chamber without giving his master a second glance. _Do you?_ Dooku asked silently.******  
**

**Having been unconscious for **Force knows how long, Quinlan Vos awoke to see that his quarry had disappeared. Using his naturally-wired tracking skills, Vos learned that Arden Lyn's footstep impressions were a week old and would soon fade. Shit, she's probably long disappeared since then to who knows where! he thought to himself with a growl. But something had him off edge: how come no one had found him in this alley and taken him to a hospital while he was knocked out?

Did Arden decide this was a suitable place to leave him due to the fact that no one would find him? If she did that, it was probably for the best that no one did find him since that would mean leaving Malastare with little to no dignity to call his own. The woman is crazy but not terribly so plus I sense that the Dark Side has not fully consumed her, not yet he observed mentally. Was there a way she could be brought back from the darkness that was slowly consuming her?

Or was there a more proper reason that it was even there in the first place? The name sounded familiar and he wondered if perhaps, he had read about her somewhere. If so, he would have to look up the source again and read about her life. It would most definitely help him prepare for the next time he faced her down in single combat and give him edges that would allow him to sway her this way or that.

He would also have to recall his observations of her style which, while old-fashioned, was not only direct but effective. As if that wasn't bad enough, the only connection he could truly make to any modern form of blade combat in her style was either Vaapad or Shii-Cho. Traces of Ataru were present but he began to wonder if she had attempted to use Niman on him to no avail. Niman was a combination of all five of its preceding styles and she definitely showed signs of it.

Whether she knew that or not was a different story entirely and one he didn't want to explore just yet. For now, he needed to make sure his ship was still where he left it and get off this rock to report back to Dooku. He would need to reveal what he had learned of Arden Lyn and hopefully, make it useful to destroying the Shadow Collective rumored to have surfaced before he was knocked out. Using the alleys and gutters he had previously hidden in in while following Arden, he was glad to see that his shuttle was where he left it.

He was also glad that Malastare was not entirely far away from Separatist space and he would soon be reporting back to his Master. Punching the coordinates after launching his ship and finding clear space, he immediately headed for Dooku's headquarters of Serenno to make a direct report.

But he decided to also announce himself before arriving so as not to surprise Dooku when he finally did arrive. "Quinlan Vos, I was expecting you a week ago, what happened?" the Dark Lord asked when he was finally on screen for Vos. "I'll tell you when we have a moment in private but for now, let's say I suffered a major setback," Vos replied. Dooku didn't like that but let it slide as Vos did seldom suffer setbacks on any scale and it was probably best to keep that sort of information private.

Arriving after a couple hours in hyperspace, there was a brief moment where Vos felt queasy due to being unconscious for so long but it passed as quickly as it appeared. Making his way to Dooku's headquarters, he was not surprised to see General Grievous leaving irritably. _Dooku must have given him another lecture on the importance of victory on a mission. It certainly would explain why he's looking a little on the edge_ Vos thought as the Kaleesh warlord approached him.

"The Count has been expecting you, Master Vos. For your sake, I hope you have something better to report than I did, he's not exactly in a good mood right now," Grievous said before leaving. Hm, the General seems in a worse mood than I've ever known Dooku to be. _Maybe it's because of the lecture which I don't think would indicate a bad mood on Dooku's part_ Vos observed to himself.

"Thank you General for the advanced warning though it may be unnecessary," he said aloud. Grievous snarled in his usual fashion at that reply which made Quinlan smirk when he wasn't looking. When he finally did arrive at Dooku's headquarters, he was not surprised to see the MagnaGuards Dooku had assigned for his protection since a Jedi break-in several months back. "Quinlan Vos, you said that you suffered a setback: explain yourself as to how that is so, please?" Dooku asked, wasting no time at all.

"Well firstly, thank you for getting to the point, I hate it when you beat around the bush. Secondly, my mission to find information was going well until I sensed a presence like no other before. This was not long after I had been confronted and nearly killed by a revived Depa Billaba who somehow made herself stronger than I remembered her being," he began. "Hold on, you faced Depa Billaba and you didn't even ask me for consent to do so beforehand?" Dooku interrupted.

"I'm sorry milord, it's just I have sparred with her before and I thought it would be like old times although I was ultimately proven dead wrong," Vos answered. "I see, continue with your report then. You were saying something about sensing a presence like no other before?" Dooku inquired. "Yes, it was in the form of a woman who seemed to be in between the Light and the Dark much like I had been although more neutral than myself.

"She called herself Arden Lyn, a name I will have to check sources on when I'm at the library you have. When I moved into ambush her, she uplifted an artifact whose light pierced through my Force Cloak and exposed me to her, nearly forcing me to fight her right there though I didn't for a little bit. After a brief exchange, we actually did fight but she beat me down with the sword she was using which cast energy blades with the same sharpness as a lightsaber. It was when she disarmed me that she pelted me down with a volley of Force Lightning until I was unconscious thus explaining why I disappeared for a week," Vos continued, concluding on the note of his coma's circumstances.

"I sense no lie but I also want to know: what did Arden Lyn say about her connection to Depa?" Dooku asked. "She said that Depa was her apprentice which, to me, was intriguing and I sensed no lie in that statement as well as her self-identification. But do tell me Master, why the hell does that name sound so familiar?" Vos replied. "Because Arden Lyn was the name of a leader of the Legions of Lettow in the First Jedi Schism; she was imprisoned in a state of hibernation when she was defeated," Dooku said.

"And I'm guessing the artifact she had was somehow used to revive her. Could it be the Kashi Mer Talisman from those ancient times?" Vos asked. "Yes it could be which means that if she returns from wherever she is headed to now, I will need you to acquire that Talisman. My Master always likes adding new artifacts to his evergrowing collection of Sith antiquities," Dooku answered with a nod.

"With all due respect Master, she beat me in a fight. What if she comes back even stronger than before and has Depa accompanying her?" Quinlan demanded. "Then take one of my other Dark Jedi with you, one or two if necessary," Dooku replied. But that is a reason for concern, unfortunately, that's the best answer I can think of at the moment the old man said to himself.

"I will return to Malastare if you wish and collect more information on the Shadow Collective," Vos suggested. "You can do that but information on the Collective will not be necessary. My Master saw to the deaths of its leaders three days ago and it has been dissolved since," Dooku stated. Vos was surprised as to what he missed out on but not overtly so since it was probably to be expected.

He bowed in thanks to his Master and told him that he would leave to return to Malastare immediately for Dooku's next orders. "On second thought, I have another task for you. This one will be much longer than the others but will prove vital if my suspicions are correct. I fear that Sora Bulq is becoming more and more uncontrollable as each day passes and he descends further into darkness.

"If it comes to the point where he will likely try to destroy me, I need you there and ready to strike him down. Admittedly, there will be missions on the side so as not to bore you with focusing on him but killing him will be your highest priority if it comes to that," Dooku explained. Quinlan Vos had to admit that he himself had his own reservations about Bulq and was glad Dooku told him this now. Smiling, he was glad he did have something to do and Dooku would not punish him for his failure on Malastare, probably understanding of how Arden had caught the Kiffar off guard.

Retreating to his private guest room, Quinlan made an assessment plan to himself, plotting how he would keep an eye on Sora. According to Dooku's information, he was on Saleucami, helping Separatist defenses there. But that could change at any moment, especially to suit Vos' convenience if Dooku wished it._ Only time will tell what Dooku has in store for that crazy old Weequay but I already know it will be to my advantage_ Quinlan told himself before then going into a healing trance. His injuries demanded his utmost attention at the moment and doing this would address them right away.


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Of all the things that Supreme Overlord Shimrra could say about Nom Anor's conniving and secrecy with Czulkang Lah, disturbing was the most fitting word he could find. "Something about that man scheming with a Warmaster has me most unsettled, Onimi. I want to know what it is they're up to and I want to know it now!" he exclaimed as he slammed a fist onto the arm of his chair. "As much as I would like to help you, my liege, there isn't much I can do in that direction for now," Onimi replied.

"Strange that your powers cannot give me insight into their plans and schemes when I need it most and yet, when I least need it, you're like a prophet of sorts," Shimrra stated. "With due respect, Master, our species' natural immunity to my power prohibits me from seeing into their minds. If I really wanted to see into their intentions, I would risk tearing their sanity apart. This could also mean that I might make their heads pop like zits if I really concentrated beyond that point," Onimi said.

_ Probably for the better if you did that to them both before they have a chance to fulfill their dark intent, whatever it may be_ Shimrra thought but didn't say. Aloud though he said, "What can be done to investigate their intent in the meantime if I wished it?" "The traditional enforcer of the law would have to be sent with a warrant to search, of course," Onimi answered. "Oh how I hate relying on tradition to get my way!" Shimrra shouted at the top of his voice.

"Now calm down Sire, you need your strength of mind in order to overcome them as well as strength of body where necessary. You have not eaten in weeks and you are becoming dangerously thin as a result, just look at your gut and look at the paleness of your skin," Onimi said. For the first time in probably that long, Shimrra actually observed his physical condition and had to agree with his Jester. Still, there was no reason to allow Onimi to point that out in front of him unless it truly put Shimrra's future existence in peril.

_ Maybe it has thus, I will not act on Onimi's words except to heed them_ Shimrra told himself silently. "If your Highness wishes, I can have a feast prepared to restore your body and revive your mind. It is much needed after all your hard work these past several weeks, fighting off the Chiss and their Killik allies must be most tiring," Onimi said with a cackle in his voice. "Yes, order such a feast for me when you have a moment to do so: food is most welcoming in this hour of the night," Shimrra said with a nod.

"I shall and would you like me to send the investigator to seek out what information they can find on Anor's intentions?" Onimi inquired. "No, let them be. I want to see how this will turn out: whether it will help our ultimate goal or hinder it in anyway," Shimrra replied, shaking his head. "Your Excellency has always had the greatest clarity and wisdom even when depleted on strength," Onimi stated. _A stupid imbecile even with a good meal, if you ask me; no wonder why I took to using him as my pawn when I found him_ Onimi thought mischievously.

"One more thing Onimi: what do you know of a fleet sent by Thrawn to not only thwart our own counterattack but to also retaliate against us?" Shimrra asked. "I know nothing beyond the fact that the counterattack was intercepted by allies of Admiral Thrawn and the Killiks," Onimi answered. It wasn't far from the truth though Onimi forgot to include visions of two women in black coming before him. This was a detail he felt was best left out for now until he could obtain more clarity in the vision.

Since each day brought more and more clarity to the vision, he guessed it was only a matter of time before these women revealed themselves to the Yuuzhan Vong. The engines of war shall turn in favor of the revelation of this vision soon enough, that I know for certain Onimi told himself. As if that wasn't good enough, Shimrra would know about these women if Anor or Lah brought them here. Was that their plan and if so, how did they know about these existence of these women when Onimi himself didn't until a few days before?

Could it be that there was someone who encountered these women and reported back to them? It was a troubling possibility but not one Onimi was unwilling to consider just as he wasn't unwilling to consider the possibility that they may be a threat to his power over Shimrra. For all he knew, Anor and Czulkang could teach persuade these women how to make Shimrra immune to Onimi's dark schemes. If that happened, he would be executed as not only would his pawn become immune but he would also discover the truth for himself.

Nonetheless, he would admit that if this was indeed the plan of the Intendant and the Warmaster, they were certainly taking great lengths to cover it up. But if that was not their plan, why would they strive to make Onimi think it was? Only one thing explained it: their purpose and interest in the women would solely be related to something Onimi could not prevent with all his power. _For the moment, I will let them continue their game until what they bring is reveale_d Onimi thought.

He hated being under pressure, as he was now, because it reduced his ability to think of plausible and cunning plans to stop his enemies. Worse, it dulled his ability to use his power to enhance the effectiveness needed for those plans to suit his ends and his alone. Of course, this excluded exceptions he would have to make to satisfy and pacify Shimrra. _Patience, young man, patience: Czulkang Lah and Nom Anor will reveal their intentions soon enough for you to be ready_ he told himself as he ordered for Shimrra's restoration feast to be readied.

But being young and still somewhat impulsive despite the wisdom his gift had given him whilst acting as his curse, sometimes made patience difficult. This was especially the case when he was bothered by a vision of a man with orange, glowing eyes. From the looks of it, this was an enemy Onimi thought vanquished years ago but who could it possibly be to bring such concern to him? How could they possibly be a threat to him now and were they connected to Nom Anor or Czulkang in any way?

The future was constantly moving in proportion to the actions beings across the galaxy took if they could take any. But since he himself was virtually immobilized, he would have to wait until the future moved toward him. Let the Intendant and the Warmaster play puppetry in the dark, he was far more skilled and effective at that than they were. And when they finally revealed their true intentions as well as who their puppets were, he would persuade Shimrra to strike accordingly.

_ All is not lost on this Court Jester just yet though most of it is, admittedly. There will be time enough to remedy this when those two reveal their plot at last_ he vowed from in the shadows.


End file.
